


The Transformers: The Movie: The Novelization

by Tindalosihound



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Gen, Novelization, Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24942781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tindalosihound/pseuds/Tindalosihound
Summary: Beyond Good, Beyond Evil, Beyond Your Wildest Imagination...-- wait this is all sounding familiar.Yes this is an attempt at novelizing the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie, in the style of later movie novelizations. As such it will also rely on material from earlier versions of the script, in the same way as those.The most important rule is that no dialogue would be added which isn't in the scripts. If a character says something, those lines aren't from me.However, I will experiment with things otherwise.I hope, if nothing else, it's an interesting experiment.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue

Lithone shone in the heavens, reflecting the light of its twin stars, and nestled safely within its home nebula.

It was a paradise, a world of robotic artists and philosophers, where abundant resources allowed all its inhabitants to enjoy lives of leisure. The great geothermal vents pumped gases into the atmosphere, lighting up the sky with glorious displays which were recorded in poetry, song, and story.

It wouldn't be enough.

They hadn't noticed their doom until it was too late, they couldn't do so. The rogue planetoid that inexorably approached their world was cloaked from their sensors. The first sign of their fate would end up coming when Lithone's gravity well met that of the interloper.

\---

Kranix walked slowly, listening to his companion complain about their job. It was a common enough occurrence, and one that had alienated Arblus from most of their fellows. Only Kranix had quite enough patience to withstand the constant stream of chatter, and knew enough about Arblus to understand he griped because he cared about it.

He could only give an apologetic smile to another Lithonian as they passed, carrying a tray full of chemicals destined for some experiment or another. He rarely kept track of it, preferring the beauty of art to the harsh realities of science.

Still, he could admire the beauty of the laboratory they arrived at, the scientist who'd arranged for them to deliver the retorts of exotic chemicals giving them a polite nod as they walked in. He paused his current experiment and came to greet them, taking the proffered tray from Kranix and putting it down.

Before they could even begin to discuss what they were for, the ground started to tremble as everything quaked. The retorts and beakers shook themselves to the edge of the desk, shattering as they dropped to the ground, chemicals evaporating as they hit the cold metallic floor.

They all waited for the tremor to pass, but as it continued, a creeping feeling of dread welled up inside Kranix, he ran to the scientist's window, ignoring any sense of politeness as he hoped, begged for the terrible thought to be wrong.

"Arblus, look..." he yelled, calling his friend over. Hoping he'd tell him that he was hallucinating, that it wasn't real.

But as Arblus joined him, there were no words of comfort. When the scientist joined them, they all stood slack jawed as they saw the planetoid descend. Already it covered the sky, stretching from horizon to horizon, the starlight replaced by a dull red glow emerging from a pit on the planet's surface, like a baleful eye. Or a mouth.

"It's Unicron." Kranix admitted, no longer able to deny the truth. Whatever technology it used to shroud itself from detection had been removed, obviously it saw no need for deception when there was no hope for escape.

But there was always hope. Kranix gripped his taloned fists, and pulled the other two away from the sight, away from the twin mountains that descended from Unicron and started to plunge into Lithone's surface. "The ships, get to the ships!" he yelled at everyone he could as they ran, heading to the starport.

Already he could feel the atmosphere getting thinner, harder to breath as the world above them drained it, a hurricane like wind developing as everything started to swirl towards Unicron's maw. Now even small objects were beginning to float into the air, debris and small mechanoids lifted up by the gravity shifting.

Kranix ignored it, running towards one of the escape craft and climbing in. Not even looking back to see how Arblus or the scientist were doing in his hurry. "It's our only chance!" he called back, cursing himself for his cowardice.

But he was right. If they didn't escape, if he didn't escape, then there'd be nothing left of Lithone. No warning, no memory. It would just be gone. He clambered into the pilot's seat, and couldn't help looking upwards, his gaze drawn to the maw by horror just as its gravity was beginning to tear at the cityscape of Lithone. The maw widened, a ring of more metallic mountains opened, and the gravity intensified. As he started the craft's engines, already the sounds of devastation had faded into a dull throb.

The atmosphere was gone, he realised.

He put such thoughts away as he flicked through more switches, relieved as more lights turned on, and he felt the craft shake as its engines fire. The mountains from above touched down into Lithone's surface as well, a sickening crunch he only lightly felt as the craft rose up. He thumbed the thrusters and relief washed over him as he felt himself escaping, the craft drawn away from the grisly sight behind him.

He pulled up his sensors, guilt now driving him onwards to check on Arblus and the scientist.

Another sigh of relief as he saw two more dots behind his craft. They'd escaped.

And then one dot stopped.

Kranix stared helplessly at the dot, his mind already filling in the picture. The escape craft straining against the gravity coming from Unicron, only to be inexorably drawn backwards, too late to flee the ceaseless hunger of the monster world.

He shuddered, setting the thrusters to maximum. And guilty hoping that the other survivor was Arblus.

If there were only two Lithonians left, he really hoped it was someone he knew.

\---

The scientist's ship tumbled as it was pulled back into the maw, dwarfed by continent sized portions of his homeworld, tumbling debris which was one cities or factory complexes, nothing smaller could be discerned thankfully as he was drawn into his doom.

He barely had time to comprehend what was coming when two vast walls collided, blinking out the life of the greatest scientist Lithone would ever know.

Along with every other part of Lithone, his ship was shattered, crushed, and rent into pieces as it was pulled deeper into Unicron, rendered down into fuel, which was pumped through what passed for the planet's stomach and heart.

Slowly energy spread. Lithone's death warming the deadly world, lights which had lain dark for centuries began to glow, motors thrummed with life, and a vast computerized brain powered back to full.

No, it hadn't been enough.

Nothing would be enough to satisfy Unicron's hunger.

But it would have to do.


	2. The Gathering Storm

The last wisps of Cybertron's atmosphere turned to ice on Laserbeak's wings as he finally reached orbit, his destination in sight.

After two miserable, rusting decades spent fighting for scraps on Earth, he relished the sterile emptiness of the interplanetary void, the impenetrable silence that surrounded him. It was a reminder of how far the Decepticons had come, the entirety of Cybertron beneath him was now under their control, and soon the war would be over.

He increased his thrust, diving towards the largest of the moons, his mind's eye already plotting a course to the Autobot's supposedly secret base.

The ice crystals on his wings melted with the heat of reentry, the moon's atmosphere was thinner, but still enough to remind him he was on enemy territory. He powered down his thrusters, and reverted to using the stealthy -- if ungainly -- method of flapping his wings, something he'd never had to do before assuming this Earthen bird form.

Earth, everything about that dirt-ball repulsed Laserbeak, and what was worse was what it had produced. He landed atop a girder, and began to record the scene beneath him: the crude forms of the Dinobots busy preparing racks of weapons for conquest. Hulking and primitive looking Autobots, made entirely on Earth and not a trace of Cybertron's true beauty within them. They were monsters, ones Laserbeak despised and more importantly feared. He returned to the air, speeding onwards with the hope they'd not notice his passage.

There. His destination was ahead of him, a simple wall of glass stood between him and the Autobots' nerve centre. He landed once more, and opened up his sensor suite -- a scope emerged from atop his head, as he wirelessly connected with every camera he could find. Like the secrecy of this base, everything the Autobots held private was lain before him, he could see everything, hear everything. Nothing would escape his grasp.

"Ironhide, Report to me at once!" The voice sent a tremor through Laserbeak, the only thing worse than the Dinobots was Optimus Prime. He was entering the control centre, and already every Autobot's attention had sharpened, everyone had begun to work just a little bit quicker.

If it was fear he'd have understood it. He himself was always careful whenever Prime was around after all. Those piercing blue optics always felt like they could see through any deception. But no, it was that the Autobots respected him, wanted to prove themselves to him. That sickened him slightly as he watched Ironhide swivel in his chair to face Prime.

"Everytime I look into a monitor, Prime, my circuits sizzle!" He'd been watching footage of Cybertron's surface, the foolish Autobot had thought to best Laserbeak at his own game. It brought a smirk to his beak as he listened. "When are we gonna start busting Deceptichops?" Ironhide shook a crimson fist, eager to get ready to fight.

But Prime shook his head, "I want you to make a special run to Autobot City on Earth." Oh, this was interesting. Laserbeak turned up the gain, making sure to record this as clearly as possible. This would certainly please Megatron.

"We don't have Energon Cubes to power a full scale assault." Prime explained, cutting across Ironhide's complaint. "Ready the shuttle for launch."

"Your days are numbered now, Decepticreeps!" Ironhide mocked the Decepticons shown on his monitor, before rising to run off, all too willing to obey his leader. Laserbeak considered following him, but stayed put. A lack of Energon, and a secret mission to Earth were useful on their own, but if Optimus had anything else hidden in his trailer, Megatron would want to know.

Already Prime had activated one of the omnipresent monitors, contacting another base on the moon. "Jazz, report security status." He ordered.

The Autobot on the other end shrugged, "No sign of Decepticons here!" he said, proving to Laserbeak just how useless he was.

"What about Moon base 2?" Prime asked, and again the white Autobot shrugged, and pulled up a new channel, intent on getting Optimus the information directly.

"Bumblebee and Spike here!" the scout exclaimed, making Laserbeak wince in disgust. The organic infestation had followed them all the way here.

"We're about to send up a shuttle. Any Decepticon shenanigans in your area?" Jazz asked.

"All clear, Jazz" Bumblebee replied, only to be interrupted by the human -- as always never caring about due respect to his superiors -- sending a message straight to...

"Hey Ironhide, tell my son, Daniel, I miss him." another reminder of the organic's despicable nature. Not only had he grown larger, but he'd also managed to bud, like some infection. "And tell him I'll be coming home as soon as we've kicked Megatron's tail across the galaxy!" More revulsion made Laserbeak shudder.

Fortunately there was little reason to stay, he could already hear Optimus begin to order the shuttle's countdown. He watched it as it ascended, tracking its telemetary to pass along.

"Now all we need is a little Energon, and a lot of luck." He heard Prime say. And enough was enough, he could stand no more of the Autobot's sentimentality, and he turned away from the window, retracting his sensors and took flight.

Family. Sentimentality. Comradery. He shook off the disgusting traits as he winged his way out of the Moon's thin atmosphere and activated his thrusters. The only emotions Laserbeak counted as important were fear, hatred, and the joy that hatred brought. And he was feeling very joyful indeed as he descended towards Cybertron.

After all, he'd been chosen for this mission. Soon the Autobots would be no more, and it would be thanks to him. No one could deny he was indispensable. And certainly not that newcomer who sought to usurp him.

He dove towards the tower, once some artistic monument before the Decepticons repurposed it towards more important ends. There, next to a defensive cannon, stood Soundwave and Shockwave, who announced his return to their lord, who waited deeper inside. Laserbeak swooped past them. What he had was for Megatron's audio sensors directly.

And there he stood, a statue of gunmetal horror, one arm braced with a cannon far more deadly than the artillery piece that stood outside, the other was held up as a perch. Laserbeak took it greatly as Megatron offered him his greetings. "Welcome Laserbeak, unlike some of my other warriors, you never fail me!" Laserbeak could feel the eyes of the other Decepticons around him, all staring with hate, but none more-so than Starscream, Megatron's nominal second in command. Laserbeak let himself enjoy the moment in the spotlight, before rising once more and heading to Soundwave with a squawk of pleasure.

Soundwave had already opened his compartment, ready and waiting, and Laserbeak shifted, his wings retracting as he changed, transforming into a facsimile of a human recording device, and took his place with Soundwave's chest. "Soundwave, playback Laserbeak's findings" Megatron ordered, and Laserbeak let himself fade away, becoming pure information as his memories expanded to fill the void that was Soundwave.

"I want you to make a special run to Autobot City on Earth" Laserbeak felt the words more than heard them, his memories were being displayed, every scrap of data being shown on a monitor for Megatron to see.

Megatron leaned in with a smile, watching his nemesis' faceplate moving as he gave orders to his inferiors. Even as... dispersed, as Laserbeak was, he could still sense the gears within Megatron's head turning, plans being given shape. "Now all we need is a little Energon, and a lot of luck." Optimus Prime's echo said.

"More than you imagine, Optimus Prime." Megatron said as he leaned back, his smile never fading. The smile brought terror to Laserbeak, dread filling every part of his rarefied existence, and he would have trembled if he could. But along with that fear came joy. Whatever Megatron had planned for the Autobots. It would be truly terrible.

\---

It wasn't far now, thankfully. Ironhide gunned the shuttle's engines as they sped through the asteroid belt. Earth would be ahead of them, and then they could refuel, load the shuttle with life giving Energon, and be on their way back to the moon base.

Just the thought of letting the Decepticons have uncontested control of Cybertron made his hands itch. Made him all the more eager to get home, where that itchy trigger finger could get to work blasting them.

Unfortunately, his eagerness wasn't shared by others it seemed, as Prowl's calm voice called over to him from the next seat "Slow down, Ironhide. We want to get to Autobot City in one piece."

Ironhide would have rolled his eyes were he human, instead he just vocalized his annoyance. "If I can dodge Decepticon rays, I can sure as shootin' dodge a couple of asteroids!" he grumbled, only to be thrown from his seat as a massive blast hit the side of the ship.

"You were saying?" Prowl said with a smirk as he started to climb back into his seat.

But Ironhide was already reaching for his sidearm, he'd taken his fair share of asteroid hits when flying transports in the early stages of the war, and he knew what they felt like. "That wasn't an asteroid!"

Light flared from behind them, and all four of the Autobots in the shuttle turned to face the oncoming threat. Air started to rush out as metal bent inwards, carrying with it the deadly invaders.

Megatron emerged first, the other Decepticons following their leader. Brawn defiantly charged from his seat "Megatron! Decepticons!" he bellowed in challenge as he rushed forwards. 

"Die Autobots!" Megatron roared back, already beginning to transform, his parts shifting and shrinking as he contorted into his gun mode, leaping backwards into the waiting hands of Starscream, who already took aim at Brawn's easy target.

Ironhide couldn't even tell Brawn to duck before Megatron and Starscream fired, a coruscating beam of violet death pierced his chest and Brawn fell, recoiling to the floor as the full power of Megatron's fusion cannon cut through him, severing circuitry and knocking him out of the fight.

He might live, if Ironhide could repel the squadron of Decepticons pouring through the hole, and Ratchet got to him in time.

Prowl had no such luck, he'd tried using his chair as cover while he brought out his gun, taking aim at Megatron and letting loose an acidic stream that sent Starscream diving for cover. Unfortunately that had let one of the Constructicons -- Scavenger, Ironhide guessed, he'd always had trouble telling them apart -- had gotten a clear shot at his chest. The laser beam shouldn't have been deadly, but it must have hit something vital, as it set off a chain reaction within Prowl's body. Within seconds his eyes were darkening, acrid fumes pouring out of his mouth as he tumbled back, his chest exploding into flames.

That just left him and Ratchet, who was already pressed back against the shuttle's consoles, firing wildly with a pair of pistols; while Ironhide tried to avenge Prowl.

It was no use, the combined firepower of the Decepticons was too much, even with Ratchet's attempts at suppression they found themselves hit again and again, falling to the floor, Energon and oil mixing as they leaked from their bodies.

Ironhide watched Ratchet crumble, the lights fading from his eyes as the Decepticons stood gloating over their bodies.

"This was almost too easy, Starscream!" Megatron crowed to his lieutenant after transforming back to his imposing robot mode. Ironhide glanced at Brawn, who was lying still. There was no one else alive on the shuttle, just him and the Decepticons. He had to do something.

"Much easier, almighty Megatron..." Starscream spat, derision dripping from his voice as the rest of the Decepticons claimed the seats so recently occupied by Ironhide and his friends, ignoring their remains "... than attacking the real threat: The Autobot's moon base!"

That's it, thought Ironhide as he crawled closer. Keep Megatron distracted. He had no idea what he was going to do, but Megatron was so close. He had to try, had to avenge his friends. Stop their plan.

Megatron let out a sigh, and walked forwards, getting all the closer to Ironhide's position "You're an idiot, Starscream. When we slip by their early warning systems in their own shuttle and destroy Autobot City, the Autobots will be vanquished forever!"

So that was their plan. Ironhide went for it, grabbing Megatron's leg with his arms, climbing up his body with one last defiant cry: "No!" he yelled.

Only to see the muzzle of Megatron's fusion cannon pointed directly at his face. The telltale glow of it charging up, preparing to fire.

"Such heroic nonsense." Megatron said, as the terrible glow expanded to fill Ironhide's vision. And then there was nothing. as Ironhide's existence was snuffed out in a single terrible instant.

\---

Earth was paradise.

It was something Hot Rod had decided on quickly after joining up with the Autobots, that when the war was over, he'd look to be assigned here permanently: Surrounded by the fresh air, the cool waters, and the trees that carried the scent of organic resins to his sensors.

And it was full of life, not just trees but other things as well. He looked down at the clear lake in front of him, the rainbow scaled animals splashing out of the surface in a frenzy over the food on Rodimus' line.

"Fish are jumping today, huh Dan-O?" He said, nudging his human companion. Another wondrous thing about Earth, the humans grew. Daniel was just barely over a decade, and Hot Rod could still remember when he'd been the size of an optic, and not even able to talk.

Of course, right now he seemed less than talkative anyway. He mumbled "I guess so," glancing up at Hot Rod. Something was obviously bothering him, and he'd not wanted to talk about it back at the city, so Hot Rod had suggested the fishing trip to get him to open up a little.

Unfortunately, that hadn't helped, so Hot Rod decided subtlety had failed, and just asked: "Hey, what's the matter?"

Daniel shrugged, looking down at the waters. "I don't know, Hot Rod." He was lying, that much was obvious even without Hot Rod's extra sensors.

"Come on. You can tell me." He probed, leaning closer and extending a hand in friendship.

"I guess I just miss dad." Daniel eventually confessed. That was it, and Hot Rod cursed himself for not realising. Daniel's dad, Spike, was obviously important, and was somehow connected to Daniel's creation. Hot Rod imagined it was like how he felt about some of the other bots, how he'd miss them if they were gone.

"Well don't worry," Hot Rod rested his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Spike'll be back soon." There was a tugging on his other hand, and he turned to look, the rod was twitching. "Oh hey! I caught something!"

He started reeling in the line, watching as a fish leapt and jumped, tugging on the the rod as it was brought inexorably to him, finally yanked out of the lake where its scales glittered in the sun. "Wow!" Daniel whispered, almost as in awe of the organic life as Hot Rod was. "Look at the size of it!" He dodged the fish as it splashed what remained of the water into the air, avoiding the spray.

Hot Rod held the fish up, watching it wiggle. His eyes meeting the fish's as they stared at each other. "Yep! It's a whopper alright!" He continued staring, something tugging at his life spark as the fish and he stared at each other.

His attention was brought back to reality by Daniel crying out "Hot Rod, the shuttle's coming!" he was waving a sensor, which was beeping at an annoying frequency and demanding attention. "Let's watch it land!"

"Talk about dull..." Hot Rod released the fish, letting it slip back into the waters as Daniel was already running off.

"Hurry or we'll miss it!" Daniel wasn't listening, too wrapped up in the excitement of the shuttle's arrival. He was already heading to where his hover-board was, a gift Wheeljack had given him a couple of months ago and which Daniel never seemed to leave behind. He started up its engine and sped into the distance, leaving Hot Rod in his dust.

If Daniel thought they'd miss it, then obviously he had a lot to learn, Hot Rod thought to himself. Dropping the fishing rod next to the river, he started to run after Daniel, crossing the grassy plain to easily catch up with the racer.

Daniel was overly eager, not paying any attention in his haste as he sped down a gully as a shortcut, even leaping over a bush as the hover-board thrummed with power.

It only took a moment's distraction for disaster to strike, as the hover-board dipped too low, hitting one of the rocks and sending Daniel flying. Hot Rod plunged forward, reaching out just before Daniel hit the dirt, and caught him in a safe grip.

Hot Rod didn't even slow down, not even letting Daniel realise the danger he'd been in a second ago. "If you're gonna ride, Dan-O, ride in style!" Hot Rod held Daniel close, his body shifting into his alternate mode, a bright red sports car enclosing Daniel safely within as they sped on.

They roared out of the gully, heading up until they reached the road marking the perimeter of the huge city that rose in the distance.

Autobot City had taken close to a decade of constant work to build, an entire living city devoted to housing the Cybertronians living on Earth, and diplomats from different Earth nations. It was designed to be self-sustaining: a colossal dam crossed the river, turbines powered by the constant flow of water kept the city flourishing along side the forest of windmills nearby. It would be a tempting target for the Decepticons, but fortunately it was built like a fortress, with gun emplacements hidden within many towers, and many buildings doing double duty as bunkers.

Hot Rod circled the city, keeping a sensor on the glittering dot in the sky that marked the shuttle, and plotted in a new course. Daniel looked up at the shuttle and smiled, "Let me out here!" He pleaded, eager to take a look for himself.

"Why settle for a peak when you can see everything from Lookout Mountain?" Hot Rod responded, using his vehicle mode radio to speak with Daniel privately.

"But we're not supposed to go beyond City limits! It's a security violation!" Daniel protested, even as they drove onwards.

"Hey, what are you anyway -- a Chromo-Chicken? Nothing's gonna happen!" Hot Rod laughed in response. This would keep Daniel's mind off his problems if nothing else.

Unfortunately, the world was conspiring to prove Hot Rod wrong. The road up to the peak now had a massive set of barricades across it, milling Autobots doing the ever-present construction work needed to get the city to full readiness. Hot Rod could just catch the warning cries as he dodged through them, almost hitting a real life relic -- Kup, a bot so ancient he was already displaying aggressive depigmentation, his teal colouration fading to grey as he twisted out of Hot Rod's path. "Cam bustin' turbo revvin' young punk! I'll straighten you out yet!" he called after them as they crashed through a sign. But Hot Rod was never one to listen to people when he had another great plan. And this one was one of his best.

He skidded to a stop on the observation deck, just a few feet away from the set of binoculars, and opened his roof. Daniel climbed out as fast as he could, rushing to the binoculars and staring through them.

Already the shuttle was the size of Hot Rod's wheels, almost enough to make out details. He transformed, stepping closer to watch Daniel enjoying the view while the shuttle roared overhead.

"Hot Rod!" Daniel yelped in surprise "Look!" he pointed upwards, "There's a hole in the shuttle!"

"What?" Hot Rod practically jumped in surprise. Ironhide wouldn't be that clumsy. He activated his own inbuilt binoculars, a visor sliding down to cover his eyes and zoomed in on the shuttle. There, just as Daniel had said, was a hole. And even worse, inside that hole were "Decepticons!"

Hot Rod felt fury overwhelm him when he saw Starscream's smug figure ranting at another Decepticon. There was only one explanation, they'd attacked the shuttle and taken it over. He raised his arms, aiming with his six emergency blasters, too angry to even take out his proton lasers, and let loose against the shuttle. It would have needed a miracle to hit, let alone do any damage, but as his shots collided with the shuttle, it began to fragment, shattering.

He stood, slack jawed as a swarm of Decepticons emerged. Along with the leaders he'd expected were a swarm of the vile insecticons, carrying chunks of the shuttle within their jaws as they chewed it to bits. He fired, heedless of the danger, until a return shot hit the observation deck -- the pure power of the blast slicing it free from the mountain and he remembered Daniel was there.

Daniel screamed while Hot Rod caught him, cradling him in his arms as they slid down the face of the mountain, shielding him from the debris. The Decepticons scattered, some flying onwards to the city while others peeled off to attack those outside. Which unfortunately included Hot Rod.

When Hot Rod landed on a cliff-edge halfway down, a Decepticon tank was already welcoming him with some cannonfire. "Come on down, Autobrat!" came its voice, identifying them as Blitzwing. Insecticons swarmed in the air nearby, cutting off any route of escape. Blitzwing took aim, the turret pointing directly at Hot Rod, who turned to shield Daniel from the blast...

Which never came. Hot Rod risked a look, turning to see that Kup had jumped onto Blitzwing's chassis and was wrestling with his barrel, and to Hot Rod's surprise -- winning! Blitzwing let off a shot, which went nowhere near Hot Rod, instead striking an Insecticon dead center and sending it plummeting downwards, sliding down the mountainside, and colliding with Blitzwing.

Kup leapt off as Blitzwing was knocked off the cliff-side, plummeting to the ground. Hot Rod still couldn't believe it, had Kup planned all that? "Not bad for an old timer!" he said, genuinely impressed.

"Old Timer?!" Kup turned with a frown, his voice sounding like a backfiring car, harsh and guttural. "That's something you'll never be if you don't get back to the city! You know what we used to do with cocky, insubordinate upstarts?" he started building into a rant.

"Save it, Kup!" Hot Rod interrupted, grabbing him by his shoulder and turning to run. He could already see Starscream approaching on a bombing run, apparently eager to pay him back for the earlier shot. "Let's burn rubber!" he said, transforming to his car mode, and speeding off. Kup followed, and although his pickup truck mode was nowhere near as fast as Hot Rod's, he was still able to keep up on the broken terrain, dodging and weaving as they headed back towards Autobot City, where smoke was already rising from the Decepticon attack.


	3. A City Besieged

Enemy fire stormed down on Autobot City, a full spectrum of Decepticon jets raining down destruction, fires blossoming even as the makeshift command convoy pulled up to the watch station to greet Perceptor.

He was currently just shifting out of his emplaced scope mode, assuming his robotic mode when he greeted their leader. "Ultra Magnus! A cursory evaluation of Decepticon capability indicates a distinct tactical deficiency!" he said, exclaiming it in one long burst of information.

Ultra Magnus stood stunned for a moment, clearly trying to work out what he had just said, before just asking "In other words, Perceptor?"

Springer could stand it no longer, and when a Decepticon swooped down on them, he pulled out his pistol and shot off a few bolts. "We're outnumbered!" He'd never been one for words, and was already itching to send the cons crawling home.

Ultra Magnus rallied, sending out his own weapons fire as he gave out orders. "Springer! You and Arcee transform Autobot City. Perceptor, tell Blaster to radio Prime for reinforcements." Springer gave a short nod and was about to leave when the last member of the convoy pushed in front of him.

The blue bot let out a rapid burst of noise which even Springer had to process for a second before he realised it was just Blurr begging "What about me, Magnus? What about me? I can help, I wanna help, what about me?" He was just so eager it came out almost too fast to understand.

"Blurr, you can help me alert the others." He said, already starting to transform as Blurr gave out another high speed burst of gratitude over having a job. Springer just shook his head and turned to leave.

"Come on, Arcee. Let's go." She was staying still, a set of binoculars across her eyes, pointing out across the field of battle, away from the besieged city.

"But Hot Rod and Kup are still outside the city." She explained, and Springer took another glance, spotting the two small dots as they sped closer, dodging Decepticon fire.

As much as Springer wanted to leap into the fray and save them, he had a job to do and there was already enough fire being directed at the city. "We can't wait, they'll have to take care of themselves." She still didn't budge, there was no option. Springer grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the sight, "Come on!"

Reluctantly, Arcee followed Springer, who bounded down a short flight of stairs heading to one of the city's checkpoints. There they started disengaging the security measures, Springer slowly pulling out one bolt, while Arcee unscrewed another. Lights blinked on as each one activated, and a message was sent.

\---

Deep within the city, the sleeper turned fitfully. He still was nowhere near full wakefulness, his consciousness too spread out, too unshaped. But even like this, Autobot City was far from defenceless. His laser emplacements blasted Decepticons out of the skies, his mortars fired explosives at ground troops. But even in his unformed dreams, he longed to help more.

And then the message came, the locks disengaged, and Autobot City moved one step closer to waking.

Machinery groaned as the immense transfiguration systems began activating, gears interlocking, shafts spinning, pistons pumped, and pulleys span. Like a titanic heart, energy pulsed through the city, and he began to transform.

Bunkers hidden beneath the surface rose, with grateful Autobot defenders taking their places within. Staircases folded up, only to unfold as barricades to block off the approaching Decepticons. He extended his vision, and sensed the two who had brought him to dreaming running along one of his roads, pursued by the enemy.

They were small, helpless. But he was not.

Lights flashed on either side of the road as it canted on either side. The Autobots half ran, half jumped from one side to another as it closed up. The gate ahead of them was descending, ready to cut off this section. The Decepticon attacking them closed in, foolishly thinking there was no escape, that they were running into a dead end.

The pair of Autobots slid under the gate moments before it shut, perfectly timed by a rapidly coalescing intelligence. The Decepticon fired pathetically at the gate, only to realise belatedly that while it'd been chasing them, Autobot City had been trapping him.

Two bulkheads closed together, and the Decepticon took off, jetting into the sky as fast as they could. They rocketed past, trying to escape, but finding their foot caught between the bulkheads. A second set closed in, larger and more heavy duty. Autobot City was peaceful, but there was a certain level of satisfaction knowing that the enemy would soon be trapped and helpless.

To his surprise, the Decepticon shot at its own foot, blasting it off in an attempt to flee. At the cost of maiming itself, they escaped, screaming its injuries to the stars above as it flew off to nurse its wounds.

Autobot City would do better next time, he was sure. He had to.

\---

This was intolerable.

Megatron took in every facet of the battlefield as it changed around him, as towers opened up to reveal more weapon emplacements, as bulkheads rose to cut off streets. This wasn't how it was meant to have gone.

He was supposed to have landed safely, to have assaulted the Autobots from within and tore them to pieces before they even knew he was here.

Somehow, deep within his life spark, he knew Starscream was to blame.

He watched as one of the insecticons swooped under an observation bridge which was beginning to retract, only for an Autobot to step out of hiding beneath the window, sending shots straight into the bug and sending it tumbling away.

Taking to the sky, Megatron rocketed forwards, aiming his fusion cannon at the retreating blue and white figure, recognising it as Mirage. A shot pierced the coward's back, and Megatron took joy in the moment of revenge. Mirage had been a thorn in his side even before the war, but he'd seized victory from Megatron's metallic grasp too many times to be allowed to live.

Megatron stormed across the city, letting loose blast after blast, wherever he spotted a weak-point or fracture in its facade. The sounds of battle lessened slightly as Megatron realised that now all the Autobots were safely within the city's fortifications. Those same fortifications which had now almost entirely closed off the city from his forces.

"Breach their defences!" he roared to any Decepticon who could hear, "We must penetrate the interior before transformation is complete!"

Fortunately the insecticons were all too eager to obey, swarming over every entrance point and chewing their way through with their mecha-manidibles. Soon victory would be Megatron's, and a victory well earned.

\---

Hot Rod felt his life spark lurch as they approached Autobot City. It was pure chaos, signs of destruction were everywhere, shattered fragments of windows hung in buildings that now served as battle stations, furtive Autobots trying to take potshots at the Decepticons.

And then there was the main entrance, just ahead of him and Kup: now a wall of pure metal, being carved apart by a pair of insecticons. The bridge started retracting, causing one of the insecticons to be pulled back, its wings starting to vibrate as it got ready to leap across... And the sight gave Hot Rod an idea.

"The insecticons are in our way!" Kup protested, starting to slow for a moment. Obviously the old timer figured they'd have to fight their way in.

"Wrong!" Hot Rod instead sped up, "They're our way in!" He gunned his engine and rammed into the insecticon before it could jump, using it as a makeshift ramp to leap across the gap and through the entrance's bulkhead. He took a look back with his rear sensors, and was relieved to see Kup following his example. Just as the insecticon started to recover, Kup rocketed over it, crushing the con's head with his rear wheels. Kup landed, colliding with the other insecticon and knocking it sprawling to the ground, and joined Hot Rod inside, the hole behind them closing up with another set of bulkheads.

They were safe now. Well, as safe as they could be. They carried on deeper into the fortress until they reached the command centre, where Hot Rod took the opportunity to transform, and let Daniel out. The poor kid was trembling, not surprisingly after what he'd been through, and Hot Rod reached down to comfort him.

"You can explain your security violation later, Hot Rod!" The imperious voice of Ultra Magnus rang in Hot Rod's head, he looked up to see him standing up on the second floor, giving orders to scurrying Autobots. "Now, man your battle station!" He boomed, trying to make himself heard over the warning sirens going off.

"I don't have to explain my actions to anyone-" Hot Rod started to argue back, only to feel Kup's hand on his shoulder tugging him away.

"He said "later!"" Kup hissed as Hot Rod turned to follow him. It was galling, everyone seemed to think they knew better than Hot Rod, but no one seemed to pay attention. If it wasn't for that security violation, if it wasn't for him trying to take care of Daniel, then they'd be in deeper scrap than they were now.

Hot Rod forced the resentment back down, taking off. He guessed Kup was right, it would wait. There were still lives to protect. Including the one running behind them. "Wait up, Hot Rod!" Daniel begged, and Hot Rod slowed his pace, letting the kid catch up. At least there was someone who wasn't constantly bossing Hot Rod around.

\---

A symphony of destruction was being unleashed outside the city, and Blaster couldn't help but feel energized.

Sure it was dangerous, sure every shot from the Decepticons was one that could lead to utter devastation. But from the command cradle, Blaster was conducting the defence as only a musical genius could. "Lookout and shout, here comes da clout of another cluster bomb barrage on da ol' Autobot garage! Yow!" He crooned, his fingers dancing across the keyboard and sending mortar rain down on Decepticon positions. 

There -- a swarm of insecticons was mustering at the hanger bays. "Gonna lay some slugs on those scrap metal bugs! Whoa, vermin, let's do some squirmin'!" A laser barrage thundered across the battlefield and sent the insecticons up in an explosive plume of debris.

He smiled, continuing his endless stream of chatter. "I'm talkin' hits here, Autobuddies!" one of the jets flew past the cradle's window and he flipped a switch. "Hits with a capital "haitch!" His chair rotated to follow the flyer as cannons fired upon it. "Like in: Hard. Heavy. And..." Suddenly movement caught his eye and he turned to greet the bot who'd just climbed up. "Hey Perceptor! What's shakin'?" A Decepticon bombardment hit close, sending shockwaves through the room "Other than this fortress?"

The scientist ducked as another hail of gunfire struck the window. "Blaster, Ultra Magnus sends orders to contact Optimus Prime for reinforcements."

Perfect, a chance to do what he did best, and save lives while doing it. "Alright! Cover your receptors, Perceptor!" he sank his fingers to the keyboard, but this time instead of commanding the weaponry, the command cradle rose and tachyonic communication devices raised out of the building. Blaster shifted, assuming his ghetto blaster mode and feeling his systems integrate with the communication web. He cried out, sending his voice out into the darkness of space and willing it to Cybertron: "Optimus Prime, do you read me? The Decepticons are blitzing Autobot City. We're really takin' a pounding. Don't know how much longer we can hold out!"

He repeated it as long as he could, hoping it would reach its intended target. But the thump on the slanted windows let him know someone else had caught it first. A quartet of miniature Decepticons were perched up there, wrenching the antenna from the roof and tossing it far below to the ground. One turned, his arms shifting into pile drivers. "First we crack the shell; then we crack the nuts inside!" he gloated, starting to hammer on the glass, spidering cracks crossing it for a moment before it shattered into countless pieces.

There was no point broadcasting any longer, Blaster gave up and reverted to his bot mode, ready to fight. Perceptor joined him, putting up his fists at the cassetticons. The four cons weighed up the two fighters, and decided the easier target was the scientist. They rushed into battle, swarming Perceptor who gave a plaintive cry to Blaster: "Run, Blaster! Save yourself!"

"No way, two can play!" He'd been getting ready for a rematch against Soundwave and his overblown menagerie. With the assistance of some new recruits from across the galaxy, this would be a piece of oil cake. Sensing danger, the catlike cassetticon Ravage leapt at Blaster, seeking to rake him with his claws. A quick kick sent him flying and gave Blaster some space. 

"Sic 'em!" Blaster yelled, hitting his eject button. From the subspace pocket within him, four warriors emerged, they transformed in mid air, taking on their battle forms ready and willing for combat.

The first, the leonine Steeljaw bounded off Perceptor and claimed Rumble as his victim, gracefully grabbing his piledriver with his jaws. The rhinoceros Ramhorn collided with Ratbat, sending them both crashing away from Perceptor. 

They were followed by a blue humanoid robot named Eject, who bounced off the recovering Ravage -- using him as a springboard to reach Perceptor and close with the berserk Frenzy, tackling him to the ground. Now furious, Ravage got back to his feet once again and approached, only for Rewind, Eject's darker twin, to fend him off with a few well aimed blows.

Perceptor rose to his feet, turning to Blaster with concern. "Do you think you got through to Prime?"

"Let's hope so!" Blaster checked Perceptor over for injuries, but fortunately his red chassis had sustained no serious damage. "'Cause if I didn't, we're all gonna look like burned out toaster ovens." The pair grimly took in the battle between the cassettes, a microcosm of the siege going on outside and reflected on the dark fate that awaited.

\---

Blurr envied his fellow bots. For them, the battle was a frenzy of violence, but at least it was quick. To him it seemed to be in slow motion, every shot which struck home an agonizing watch as another comrade perished. He glanced at the others inside the bunker, and hated the thought of losing them. Sure, they'd not known each other long -- at least according to the chronometer -- but to him it had been a lifetime.

He laid down covering fire at Blitzwing, who was on a bombing run along a less fortified boulevard. The potshots did nothing, but to his relief it had signposted the threat to two others. Powerglide and Warpath struck in an pincer attack, cutting off Blitzwing from above and below as the triple changer seemed to freeze in mid air, stuttering in surprise at being caught. Each fired bursts of energy, raking him along the side, and sending him plummeting down into another horde of cons. It couldn't have taken more than a second, but it dragged on endlessly.

There, Megatron was leading a strike-force to literally pry open Autobot City's defences, pulling at the metal plating. He took a few more potshots at the horde, while from beneath a group of Autobots sallied forth, led by the only Autobot who could keep up with Blurr. "We've got to stop 'em!" cried Bluestreak, taking on Decepticon jets with a lasersaber. To his right, Hound unleashed havoc with his blasters, blowing them to the ground by destroying their legs.

Despite how valiant their strike was, it was hopeless. "We've got Decepticons at the gates, Decepticons in the air, Decepticons inside our walls. Decepticons, Decepticons, Decepticons." He watched the slow retreat as Bluestreak and the others were pushed back. "If we beat them off the walls, they're still in the air. If we shoot them out of the air, then they're still at the gates. So where does that leave us?"

He moved to another window, firing off at more insecticons as they took down an automated turret. Every loss seemed pointless when facing them, as there were always more. All in all, it perfectly answered his question. "Nowhere! That's where." As far as he could tell, they were doomed.

\---

Things were going from bad to worse. Arcee had her hands full carrying the wounded out of the line of fire. The bunker was quickly filling up as she dragged Windcharger next to Wheeljack. And what's worse was few were making it safely. Even as she propped Windcharger up she could tell it was useless, his blank eyes making it obvious he'd perished while she'd tried to save him.

Springer was behind her, trying to push one of the heavy torpedo-launchers into position, the tank-tracks that normally propelled it had been damaged in one of the Decepticon bombing raids. He grunted as he exerted himself, "Come on Arcee! We've gotta get this launcher into place. Megatron's making his big push, and we gotta push back!"

Reluctantly she turned away, joining Springer to help shove it into position. If she couldn't save Windcharger or Wheeljack, she'd at least avenge him by taking out some Decepticons. The launcher groaned as it slowly started to turn, and she was grateful when more hands joined hers to help out.

"Keep at it, Springer, lad! Help's at hand!" She glanced to her side, seeing the aged Kup joining in, his lifetime of war granting him strength that far outweighed his antique frame. it started to move further. "Together now!" he barked as another pair of hands joined in, and Arcee was even more pleased to see Hot Rod was still attached to them.

"I was afraid you'd --" she grunted as the launcher started smoothly turning "-be trapped outside the city."

"Hey, I wasn't worried for a micro-second!" Hot Rod joked, but was obviously hiding how anxious they were, focused on Daniel, who was trying to help push the launcher as well.

She forced a smile as well, and as the launcher scraped across the floor she rebuffed Hot Rod gently, "Then you probably didn't understand the situation."

Finally the launcher came to a stop with a groan. "That did it!" Kup cheered, while Daniel climbed up a nearby set of handholds that did double duty as a barely human-sized ladder.

He stared out the window, crying out "Kup, Hot Rod!" he pointed out the window, "look!"

Arcee joined the two others rushing towards the window, and catching a glimpse that chilled her life spark cold.

The constructicons were glowing, lighting up the darkening sky as they started to merge, their bodies reconfiguring in ways that looked like agony, the side effect of being the first to undergo the retrofit that changed the six genius architects into the brutal, abominable, monstrous... "Devastator..." Kup whispered in a mix of awe and terror.

She couldn't help but watch as the giant lumbered towards one of the laser cannons. Even as it turned to fire on him, Devastator reached up with speed that should have been impossible for a beast his size, and let his hand fall on the turret, crushing it into rubble.

"Prepare for extermination!" he roared, his mind unable to focus on anything else, the disparate threads of consciousness all pulling at each other until the only thoughts that remained was hate. He swung his arms and collided with the wall, sending quakes through the whole structure.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!" Springer cried, and Arcee turned to watch him insert a hydrothermo shell into the launcher. With a few button presses, the shell was loaded, readied, and then launched along the linear accelerator, catapulting into Devastator's side.

The world outside was filled with dust and debris, shrouding everything for a blissful moment where she could imagine it had worked. The shell had taken out Devastator and the cons milling around his feet. But as it cleared, reality came back. He stood, almost completely unharmed.

Arcee took up a position as Springer's loader, slamming in shells as fast as he could fire them. Another whistled as it crossed the battlefield, then another.

And the only thing it did was anger the giant. He ripped free an immense slab of armour from the city, and hurled it towards the bunker. Everyone ran, abandoning the launcher, abandoning the fallen. Only stopping to sweep Daniel off his feet and escape into the depths of the city.

Things were going from worse to cataclysmic.


	4. The Last Stand

The battle had raged through the night. Explosions and laser blasts had provided illumination for Megatron's forces as he'd led them further into the city.

It had been slow going. If there was one virtue Megatron admired in the Autobots, it was their determination -- something severely lacking in his own warriors. Each step they'd taken had been paid for with wounds and scars, but Megatron had made sure the Autobots had gotten the worst of it.

Every time they'd retreated, abandoning another block of what had once been their city, they'd been forced to leave the burning remains of their fellows, the living defenders shrinking as much as their territory.

Megatron did the calculations, for every ten defenders the Autobots had mustered to oppose him, now only one remained. It brought a smile to his face, there was no way they could with hold another assault.

He raised his voice, addressing his weary and weakened troops. Bellowing with tones augmented by Soundwave's communication equipment: "Their defences are broken! Let the slaughter begin!"

It was needless demagoguery, but it had the desired effect, the Decepticon's life sparks burned brighter as they fought on, ignoring their fatigue with a mighty roar of berserk fury.

But to Megatron's surprise, the roar didn't fade when they redoubled their assault. In fact it grew louder, until it was clear no Cybertronian voice -- no matter how augmented -- could have produced it.

He looked up, turning to see a glittering star in the sky. But it was no late vanishing stellar body, his optics filtered out the glare of Earth's sun to show him that time had run out. Any hopes he'd had of blitzing the city before reinforcements got here had faded.

There was a shuttle coming. And that meant Optimus Prime was here.

Megatron's life spark flared with impatience. 

He needed to hurry.

\---

The shuttle plunged through Earth's atmosphere, awash with flame from its dangerous descent. Its chassis was pockmarked from weapons fire -- Megatron had left Astrotrain in orbit, waiting, just to try and hold off any chance of reinforcements.

Optimus Prime's life spark burned just as much as the shuttle was, his eyes taking in the sight of Autobot City's devastation.

Everything had gone wrong. He'd known he'd been being overly cautious. Ironhide had told him as much. But Prime had wanted to limit casualties. He'd thought by building up a stockpile of weapons and energon, he could have saved lives, or even forced the Decepticons to surrender when they saw they had no chance -- either weighing up the cold logical equations, or out of a desire to save their own lives.

But now it was too late.

"Time has run out..." he muttered, seeing the burning wreckage of the city. He couldn't imagine how many of his friends and followers were there, scattered about the ruins. He just hoped they could forgive him in the afterlife, when all would be one.

There. Amongst the fighting, Prime caught sight of a green figure. Tiny on the computer monitor, there was still no denying who it was. He turned to the hulking giants behind him, their leader staring at him. Was Grimlock thinking of how he'd have done better? It didn't matter. Now all that mattered was saving what lives remained. "You must lead us in, dinobots! Destroy Devastator. Any. Way. You. Can."

Grimlock nodded, hopefully sensing the weight of Prime's words. "Me Grimlock, love challenge!" He roared with laughter. Then turned to the shuttle's moon pool.

Together his team loped towards it, surrounding the hole and preparing to jump. Optimus Prime watched the five colossi laughing and roaring as they readied themselves for combat. Optimus envied their simple revelry in battle.

But he didn't envy the task ahead of them.

\---

All Grimlock could hear was the sound of air rushing passed it while he plummeted, the remains of Autobot City below providing an obvious target. The Decepticons frantically rushing away from their vertiginous descent. He roared back to his fellow dinobots, secure in the knowledge that they'd be right behind him, and that it'd take more than some stupid air to stop them from hearing him: "Dinobots transform!"

Then he was engulfed by his own transformation, the circuitry rewiring as his armour plating swallowed him up, his tyrannosaur mode taking over. A laser-like focus came about as he stared out of new eyes, Devastator dead centre of his vision. He opened his jaws wide, ready to tear Devastor to pieces...

Only for his lunge to be checked, as the colossal beast's leg collided with him. Devastator had actually reared up, kicking him in the chest and sending him flying. Grimlock couldn't help but be impressed, and mourned Prime missing out on this.

He didn't know what he was missing. The thrill of combat, the ultimate battle of brawn verses brawn. Grimlock knew he was seen as stupid, but didn't care. He was the dinobot's leader, their king. Being strong was all that mattered.

Sludge landed behind Devastator, ready to take him by surprise, but the obvious quakes sent through the ground by his landing had alerted the combiner, who span on his foot and slammed Sludge to the ground, rattling him from the tip of his tail, all the way along his brontobot neck to his head. Before Sludge could recover, Devastator hefted him up, lifting him above his head, and threw him into the side of the building.

Grimlock smiled -- well, at least bearing his fangs even more -- at the sight. Sludge's pride would be stung, but that just make him fight all the harder. On the other hand, Slug needed nothing to encourage him, only his already overdeveloped berserker rage. In three horned beast mode, he charged Devastator, knocking him off centre and sending him crashing through the wall of the fortress.

Devastator tried to rise up, while Swoop came down on a bombing run. Unfortunately for him, the crumbling city was its own weapon. Devastor retreated inside, making it crumble further, and a sheet of metal fell, crushing Swoop beneath it.

Grimlock slowly recovered with Snarl's help, Devastator already pulling himself up while Autobots ran around at his feet. It was terrible.

There was no way to deny that Slug had won this bout with the combiner, and he'd be obnoxious for weeks.

\---

Optimus was the first one on the ground when the shuttle landed, even before Sunstreaker had switched off the engines he'd been ready to go. Hound wasn't long after him, but he stopped in horror at the display of brutality before them.

It was almost impossible to believe anyone was alive here, but the telltale sound of laser-fire from both sides confirmed it. He needed to save them, and he needed to put all thoughts of forcing a peace out of his head.

Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.

"Megatron must be stopped..." he said, thinking of all the lives that had been wasted. "No matter the cost!"

He felt his life spark pulse with the Matrix within him, and engaged his transformation cog, withdrawing his vulnerable subsystems into himself, assuming his truck form. He felt his trailer attach, linking behind him. And then, there was only battle.

Optimus Prime sped across the hydroelectric dam, his engine protesting when he shifted into maximum overdrive. He switched off his safety systems, which were already joining in the chorus of complaints, and charged into the city.

There the Decepticons were, charging into a combiner sized hole in the city's armour. A few stopped and turned when they heard his approach, grabbing their weapons in panic.

Ahead of him was Thrust. A coward. Only one blow should be enough to take him out of the fight. Prime barrelled ahead, colliding with him in a blow that cracked both bot's chests and sent the jet sprawling to the ground.

Shrapnel was next -- or maybe one of his doubles -- either way he seemed too dented to fire off his electricity and was scrambling to escape. Good, that fear would keep him down with just a simple reminder. Optimus swerved at the last second, clipping the insecticon enough to make sure he'd feel it.

Optimus carried on, there was Blitzwing. A real threat, even if he seemed to have already taken some dents. Prime kept on him, turning to follow the fleeing triple changer. Just before they collided, he leapt out of the way, revealing he'd been luring Prime into a firing squad.

The Decepticons opened fire, and shots pierced him through the front of his cab. He leapt into the air, his emergency rockets firing as he transformed. His trailer vanished into subspace behind him, hopefully safely secure.

He drew his ion blaster and took aim. Ramjet, heavily armoured as always, but with enough dents in his cone that it only took one shot to send him crumbling. Soundwave and Thundercracker were to his left and Prime focused his shooting on the cassette master. A few blasts was enough to make him retreat, and the lack of firing from Thundercracker confirmed Prime had made the right choice. The jet looked haggard and broken. Maybe after all this was over, he'd give up.

Prime quashed that notion, focusing on his battle. He landed, the struts in his legs snapping with the impact, while he sent out a wave of suppressing fire. Kickback was an easy shot, crumbling to the ground. Dirge took a moment later, his own nerves stopping his shot and letting Prime pierce his cockpit with a blast.

The shriek of engines came from above, and Prime looked up, ending up face to face with Blitzwing. Prime had just enough time to let off a shot before the triple changer collided with him, knocking his gun to the ground and pinning Prime. Already he could see Starscream, Astrotrain and Skywarp closing in, eager to take advantage of his moment of weakness.

\---

Megatron ran, following the path of destruction that Devastator left in his wake. Broken walkways littered the area which must have been intended as Autobot living quarters.

A smile was brought to his face, despite Prime being on his heels. Thanks to his actions, there'd be plenty of free rooms. And after he was done, they'd make fine holding cells for any who surrendered -- before their executions of course.

There he was, rampaging just like a good soldier should. Ahead of him was that irritating Ultra Magnus, who was carrying an Autobot team into battle in his car carrier mode. He was in some ways even worse than Optimus, dutiful and loyal, without Optimus Prime's passions to press upon.

The nature of Ultra Magnus's team became all too obvious as Megatron tried to remember their names for when they were executed. Tracks, Sideswipe, Red Alert and Magnus all fired off missiles, aiming the explosive weaponry at Devastator's joints.

Devastator was no match for the assault, the night's battle, the struggle with the Dinobots, and now this. He fell back, collapsing and breaking apart into his constructicon components. To Megatron's pride, they didn't let the loss of their combined form stop them, advancing on the Autobots who were forced to retreat under their assault -- with Red Alert falling to the combined fire before he could escape.

It was a sight to warm Megatron's life spark.

The loud clank of metal hitting the ground alerted him, and he turned to see that, unbelievably, behind him Optimus Prime still stood.

There was signs of injury covering every bit of him. From small dents which would be easily repaired, to deep gashes which spoke to the struggle he'd suffered. "Prime?!" he cried, shocked at just how much his adversary had been through.

\---

"One shall stand." Optimus sighed, "One shall fall." It was how it had to be.

The Decepticons had proved dangerous foes, but cowardly ones as well. While they'd severely injured him, it had only taken a single devastating blow to Skywarp to send them fleeing. The jet couldn't even teleport away, with Prime having torn the power rectifier chip from his body. Now all that was left was Megatron.

The tyrant sneered at him, "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" He waved at Optimus' body. The injuries that had he'd suffered. Optimus considered it, thought about how everything he'd done, everything he'd fought for, everything dated back to his first mistake. Trusting Megatron, dying by his hands. His rebirth. Everything was because of Megatron.

"That's a question--" he paused, sensing a Decepticon behind him. Ignoring the burning in his servos, he twisted, grabbing the surprised Dirge, and slammed him into the ground. Fortunately he didn't bother to get up. "-- you should ask yourself, Megatron."

Megatron raised his fusion cannon at Optimus, taking careful aim, and then smiled. "No." he lowered the weapon, "I'll crush you with my bare hands!" He leapt at Prime, catching him in a tackle. The pair of them tumbled outside, crashing into the ground with a sickening crack. Electricity coursed through Optimus as cables snapped within him.

Already the tone of battle was shifting. Warriors from each side were stopping, turning to watch the struggle of their leaders. Megatron and Optimus Prime struggled to their feet, readying themselves for battle. This had been a long time coming.

Megatron kicked out, and Prime only just dodged it, grabbing Megatron's foot. He mustered his strength, and with a swing, sent Megatron flying into a wall, where he slumped into a pile of debris.

Optimus charged, unwilling to give Megatron a chance to recover -- but Megatron also wasn't going to give him a chance either. He grabbed a jagged length of metal and lobbed it at Prime like a javelin. Prime twisted, trying to dodge it -- and because of that the shard only pierced him through his side, agonizingly crushing delicate components.

Megatron didn't care about bare hands any more. Even as Optimus continued his charge, Megatron was lining up his cannon for a shot. Prime ducked it, ignoring the pain from the shard, and kept going. He caught Megatron as he was dealing with his cannon's recoil, and before another shot could be made, Optimus sent an uppercut to Megatron's chin, sending him reeling.

He crashed against the wall once more, his cannon scattering aside. Optimus took the chance, and tugged the shard from his body, gasping with the pain.

As he tossed it to one side, Megatron was already on the attack, pulling out an energized dagger from his own armoury, and charged towards Prime.

He had little strength left, and even as he tried to fend off Megatron's blows, the dagger found its mark, slicing him across the abdomen. Sparking circuits started leaking from it, and Optimus tried desperately to hold them in.

He reeled, stepping backwards towards what turned out to be the edge of the platform they were standing on. There was nowhere left to go.

"Farewell, Prime!" Megatron gloated, leaping at Optimus, seeking to plunge the dagger into his life spark.

Optimus reacted the only way he could. He swung upwards with a haymaker blow, ignoring his wounds for the moment. He didn't have time to worry about himself.

Megatron recoiled, ending up prone, the dagger falling from his grip. As Optimus closed the distance, Megatron tried to sweep his legs. When Prime dodged that, he pushed himself off the ground, vaulting into Prime and sending him back, once again against the edge.

Megatron fell upon him, fury in his voice as he clawed at his face. "I'll rip out your optics!" he roared, his rage overpowering any sense of logic he still had remaining. Which was his flaw. Prime pushed back, forcing himself to stay as calm as he could, finding any weakness Megatron left open. He grabbed Megatron by the neck, twisting around and with the last remnant of his strength, hurled Megatron overhead, sending him flying, bouncing as he skidded along the platform, leaving a trail of broken metal in his wake.

"Finish him off, Prime! Do it now!" came a cry. Optimus tried to place the voice, but everything was dimming. He fought it off, and spotted his ion cannon, long forgotten about in the heat of battle.

He gingerly took it, raising himself up, and aimed it at Megatron -- struggling to remain steady.

Megatron looked up at Prime from the ground. He was almost as badly injured as Prime, energon seeped from his wounds. His voice was broken when he spoke. "No more, Optimus Prime. Grant me mercy, I beg of you!"

It would be so easy to accept it, so easy to give up and trust Megatron. But no, he couldn't. His aim still wavered, but he kept his cannon trained on Megatron as he crawled closer. "You who are without mercy now plead for it?" He steadied himself, his life spark feeling like it would burst. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff!"

Megatron looked up at him again, and Prime saw it. That self satisfied grin of a plan well completed as he reached into a pile of rubble and drew out an explosive pistol. Both their trigger fingers tensed.

"No you don't, Megatron!" came a cry before either could act. A flame red Autobot collided with Megatron, fighting him for the gun.

Optimus Prime froze, realising how much danger they were in. Even near death, Megatron was as deadly as ever. Hot Rod was young, reckless, trying to find out who they were. There was no comparison. "Out of the way, Hot Rod!" he begged.

But it was too late. Megatron grabbed Hot Rod under the arm, holding them as a living shield as he aimed the gun at Optimus.

He fired. The shot hit his wound, cutting through the wires and cables until it nested itself deep with him.

He cried in agony as it exploded, rending more of his body. His eyes dimmed with his life spark. "Fall!" Megatron commanded, shooting again and again, forcing down against the cliff's edge.

His use for Hot Rod now over, Megatron tossed them to one side. Stepping closer. Getting between Prime and the cliff's edge.

Prime held his hands to his abdomen, holding in the circuits as best he could as he pulled himself to his knees.

"I would have waited an eternity for this." Megatron gasped, looming over him. "It's over, Prime."

His voice was haggard, empty. As joyful as it seemed, Megatron had still lost so much that he was running purely on hate.

And hate couldn't win. He wouldn't let it.

He abandoned his wounds. Letting them spill out as he sacrificed anything he had left, swiping upwards with all he was. No longer Optimus Prime, this was the last sacrifice of Orion Pax. He collided with Megatron with a cry of: "Never!"

The blow hit Megatron in his chest, the power that had been mustered enough to shatter it, driving him back, tumbling over the edge, down to the ground.

Prime collapsed again, feeling the fading coming once more. Megatron was right. It was over. For both of them.

Hot Rod rushed to his side, "Optimus! Forgive me!"

Prime tried to speak, to say something. There was nothing to forgive. It was Prime who'd failed, not Hot Rod. His voice was broken, and nothing came out but a gasp of static.

It was too late.

\---

This was perfect.

Starscream looked down at Megatron's shattered remains, along with Hook and Soundwave. The three of them had survived with barely a scratch. "How do you feel, Mighty Megatron?" he crooned, taunting the fallen leader now he couldn't even muster a response. He kicked out, his injured foot colliding with Megatron's chest. He ignored the pain, leaders needed to be strong after all.

He turned, calling out to the Decepticon who was now all important: "Astrotrain, transform and get us out of here."

As he turned to leave, he heard Megatron beg, now completely without deceit: "Don't leave me, Soundwave!"

It was embarrassing. Even when Soundwave replied with "As you command, Megatron" he could tell that he was re-evaluating everything. Megatron's time was over.

Starscream lead the retreating Decepticons to Astrotrain, watching as they clambered on board, overfilling the tranport with their carcasses. He did some mental calculations, separating the Decepticons into two groups. Those who were wounded, and those who were dead but didn't know it yet.

Soon they'd have to make some very harsh decisions. Starscream couldn't wait.

\---

"The Decepticons are retreating!" Arcee cried, barely able to believe the sight as the cons loaded up on Astrotrain.

"Prime did it! He turned the tide!" Kup cheered, firing off a shot at the escaping forces. Arcee nodded, even as everyone kept up the defence until Astrotrain was nothing more than a dot on the horizon, there was a sense that everything was over. The tension had drained.

They'd won.

It was only later that they realised what they'd lost.

\---

Hot Rod stayed silent. Watching the others surrounding Prime's death bed.

He didn't have to say anything. Neither did they. He knew it was all his fault. There was a chance Prime could have lived on.

And Hot Rod had stolen that from all of them.

Perceptor finally transformed out of microscope mode, clearing his throat as he tried desperately to find the words. For a moment, even Hot Rod hoped that the scientist would announce he'd done the impossible and found a way for Prime to live.

"I fear the wounds..." he started, unwilling to continue. But he had to say it, had to confirm the awful reality. "... Fatal."

Daniel was by Prime's side, tears welling in his eyes. Hot Rod remembered when learning they could do that had been a wondrous surprise, another gift of the organics. But now it was just a reminder of his crime. "Prime, you can't die!" Daniel begged.

Optimus Prime turned to him, turned to all of them. His voice wavering. Every pulse of his life spark could be the last. "Do not grieve... Soon I shall be one with the Matrix."

Prime's eyes brightened, and Hot Rod felt another traitorous flare of hope. "Prime!"

Optimus focused on Ultra Magnus, reaching up towards him, shortening his remaining time with each movement. But none could refuse him the chance to have his last words. "Ultra Magnus! It is to you, old friend, I shall pass on the Matrix of Leadership, as it was passed to me."

Ultra Magnus held up his hand, trying to refuse. "But, Prime. I'm just a soldier. I'm not worthy." he protested.

Prime reached up once again, and this time Magnus held it, shaking gently from sorrow. "Nor was I, but one day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix, to light our darkest hour." Prime drifted from one sentence to another, as if unwilling to let it end, forcing himself to speak. But now it was over.

He pulled his hands back, and took hold of his chest, pulling open what remained to reveal the Matrix of Leadership. An item Hot Rod had never thought he'd ever see, and now wished he never had.

It shone like a star, even as Prime plucked it from his chest, raising it. He held it out towards Ultra Magnus and spoke one final time. "Until that day... when all are one."

The Matrix slipped from his grip, and Hot Rod dived, trying to catch it before it hit the ground. He had to do something right today, something worthwhile.

It was in their hands. The crystalline star held within its protective chamber. Something too holy, too wondrous for words. And it was was worthless compared to Prime.

Hot Rod lifted it, holding it out to Ultra Magnus, who silently took it. The Autobot opened his chest, exposing a chamber like Prime's, and sunk it in. His face was heavy from the burden he now carried, and he couldn't meet the stare of the others.

The machine counting each pulse of Prime's life spark fell silent. His task now done, the light faded from Prime's optics. Everything went still as sorrow filled the room.

The colour from Prime's body started to fade, lifeless grey metal replacing the warm red of his existence. Daniel couldn't hold himself back any more, the tears flowing endlessly.

Hot Rod wished he could join him.

\---

The Matrix slipped from his grip, and Hot Rod dived, trying to catch it before it hit the ground.

It was in their hands. The crystalline star held within its protective chamber. Something too holy, too wondrous for words.

The Matrix slipped from his grip, and Hot Rod dived, trying to catch it before it hit the ground.

It was in their hands. The crystalline star held within its protective chamber. Something too holy, too wondrous for words.

The Matrix slipped from his grip, and Hot Rod dived, trying to catch it before it hit the ground.

It was in their hands. The crystalline star held within its protective chamber. Something too holy, too wondrous for words.

Unicron watched it over and over. 

There it was. The one thing that was enough to rouse an emotion within the planetoid.

Hate, anger, fear. To Unicron all were the same, and it roared to the galaxy, its voice incomprehensible except as the howling of a black hole.

Those galactic inhabitants who knew of Unicron believed two things about it. It could never be stopped, and it could never be turned from its path.

Unicron changed ten thousand millennia of galactic certainty as it slowly turned in its motion, plotting a new course through the heavens.

The Matrix was found.

Now everything would change.


	5. Death and Rebirth

Even without his unpleasant company, Starscream would have found the trip unpleasant enough.

Astrotrain was juddering and jolting, the damage he'd sustained during the battle had obviously messed with his engines enough that he'd barely made it to Cybertron's new home system, the pale red star in the distance a welcoming sight.

But Astrotrain's cargo bay was unfortunately crowded. Everyone was still stuck inside the triple changer, with barely any floor space that wasn't occupied by the circuits of the living or the dead -- or almost dead. They seemed to be annoyingly holding onto their life sparks.

In the end, the triple changer came to his rescue once more: "Jettison some weight, or I'll never make it to Cybertron!" Starscream rubbed his hands with glee. He could use this.

He stepped forward, pushing his way past two dying jets and started to declaim: "Fellow Decepticons, Astrotrain has requested that we lighten our burden!"

He was about to continue, giving an impassioned speech about the nobility of sacrifice, the need to make hard choices, and how the rust buckets would do the same to them if they had the chance -- but Bonecrusher interrupted "In that case I say it's survival of the fittest!"

It made him smile, this was almost too easy. He rolled with the change in plans, "Do I hear a second on that?"

A chorus of support rose up from the least injured Decepticons. "Aye!" they cried unanimously, with Starscream being taken by surprise to see Soundwave included. Megatron's disgraceful display must have affected him deeply.

"And against?" Starscream asked, already pleased to see the walking corpses being pushed to the front, mustered into a mass of living scrap.

"Nay!" they protested, trying to raise their voices as loud as they could. Barely audible over their moans of pain.

Starscream loved democracy. "The ayes have it!"

He strode through the crowd, the "ayes" grabbing their fallen comrades and following Starscream to the shuttle doors. A quick press of some buttons and there was a wall of emptiness lit by a few stars. His followers tossed out their former comrades, eagerly watching as they fell behind Astrotrain, accelerating faster by the astro-second.

This just left the crowning glory. Starscream dipped, picking up Megatron's chassis in his arms. "Oh, how it pains me to do this." He declared, not even bothering to hide the sarcasm dripping from his words, or the smile of triumph on his face.

"Wait!" Megatron croaked in desperation, "I still function!"

Starscream looked at his fallen leader. Energon dripping from holes in his chassis, a cracked chest plate, eyes that dimmed every time he wasn't begging for assistance. He arched his eyebrow, and tossed Megatron out. "Wanna bet?" He laughed, ignoring Megatron crying out his name as it vanished into the void.

He kept watch while Megatron tumbled out into the distance. Astrotrain charging on, towards Cybertron, now that the chains imposed by the fallen's mass had stopped holding him back. When the doors slammed shut, he turned around, dusted off his hands, and spoke to the crowd once more. "Well, as Megatron has..." he thought about how to put it "...how shall we say, departed? I nominate myself as the new leader."

To his surprise and annoyance, what should have been a formality turned into a brawl. "Wait! The constructicons form Devastator, the most powerful robot!" Scrapper protested, raising his fist in anger, "We should rule."

Soundwave barged into their path. "Soundwave superior. Constructicons inferior." Oh, that explained it, Starscream's life spark warmed to see such ambition displayed in Soundwave. He almost thought the bot was incapable of it.

"Who are you calling inferior?" Bonecrusher stepped forward, face to face with Soundwave.

Hook, one of his fellow constructicons, joined him. "Nobody would follow an uncharismatic bore like you!"

Soundwave's chest opened, freeing his menagerie of miniature minions. One of them yelled "Hey! Nobody calls Soundwave uncrazmatic!"

Another was already charging to fight. "Yeah! Let's kick tailgate!" he yelled while Starscream settled in to watch. No sense wearing himself out when he could let others do the hard part.

Hook yelled "Constructicons, Unite!" and together with his team started to merge, their forms transforming as they became one, a towering behemoth in the small space of the cargo bay.

"No way!" the pair of tape bots cried out, shifting their arms into piledrivers and going to work on Astrotrain's floor. Devastator started to come apart almost immediately, the tremors hampering the unity of the six constructicons and causing them to fall to the floor. The other tapes leapt upon the fallen artisans while Starscream settled in to watch the show.

Blitzwing seized Soundwave by the neck, slamming him to the ground with a crash. "I am a triple changer!" he charged into the fray. "I am worth any two of you! I should run things!"

A sudden shock from behind sent him sprawling as one of the remaining planes made his bid for power. "Death comes to anyone who crosses me!" Declared Dirge, and Starscream had to suppress the urge to laugh.

This was all going to go perfectly, and he wouldn't need to lift a finger.

\---

There was silence.

All of Megatron's warning systems had switched off, the chatter from the other cons bemoaning their fate had faded with their lives. And now he was alone in the void of space. With nothing.

Except hate.

He could barely move, his limbs cut off by the effort to preserve his life, even his eyes were dimming -- not that there was anything to see.

All he could do was hate.

He barely even noticed as what had at first seemed to be mere aimless drifting turned into a definite path, drawing him and the mass of wreckage behind him into the gravity well of a small moon or planetoid.

He was drawn closer, and finally realised something new was happening when a voice manifested. Surrounding him like the thunder of a storm. His apparently aimless drifting was halted and he was flung backwards by the impossible volume. His auditory circuits tried to process it, and failed, and instead the voice spoke directly to his life spark. "Welcome, Megatron."

Megatron felt a sudden surge of power. Survival now seemed possible for some blissful moment, until he realised he was drifting back into the void. He reached out, grabbing what seemed like an immense mountain arching up from the planetoid, and clawed at it desperately.

Finally, the thunderous voice died down, no echo remained. Megatron took off, drifting above the planetoid and willing his eyes to full power to search for the speaker. "Who said that?" He croaked.

"I am Unicron." Once again the voice seemed to appear, rather than be said, but it buffeted Megatron like a hurricane, sending him tumbling before he found himself in a patch of stillness.

"Show yourself!" He demanded, anger once again providing a rush of power nearly as great as energon. Someone was playing with him, tormenting him. The voice which came from nowhere sounded utterly disdainful, as if they had long ago grown bored with everything and carried on purely through inertia.

The voice ignored his command, instead stating: "I have summoned you here for a purpose."

Now the wind was lesser, like the voice -- this Unicron -- had realised and calmed itself... but it was no more quiet than before. Instead he seemed to be within the eye of devastation. He looked from one of the arching mountains to another, and then downwards. There was a pit beneath him, like some cavernous maw. And a shiver ran through him as he realised where Unicron was. "Nobody summons Megatron!" he declared, quieting the fear that threatened to overwhelm him.

A flicker of emotion seemed to channel through Unicron's voice: "Then it pleases me to be the first."

"State your business!" Megatron demanded, curious as to what this incomprehensible entity might wish with him.

"This is my command! Destroy the Autobot Matrix of Leadership! It is the one thing, the only thing, that can stand in my way!" Unicron no longer suppressed its voice, anger elevating it and the hurricane winds which buffeted Megatron once more, a torrent of light blazing from its maw and threatening to blind him.

"You have nothing to fear." He said, covering his optics while already trying to think of what this meant, what he could do with the information. "I have already crushed Optimus Prime with my bare hands."

"You exaggerate." It was true it hadn't gone nearly as well as Megatron had hoped, but he saw how Optimus was, and knew he'd almost certainly have perished by now.

"The point is, he's dead." He protested, "And the matrix died with him!"

"No. The point is you are a fool!" Megatron felt himself pinned by the light, engulfed by the sound. Unicron's anger surrounding him. "The Matrix has been passed to their new leader, Ultra Magnus. Destroy it for me!" he demanded.

"Why should I?" Megatron turned his own demands back to the living world. "What's in it for me?"

"Your bargaining posture is highly dubious." Unicron pondered for a moment before it continued. "But very well, I will provide you with a new body, and new troops to command?"

"And..." Megatron pushed for more.

"And nothing!" Unicron roared. "You belong to me now!" It seemed that while this beast was filled with ennui, outright defiance enraged it.

That made two of them.

"I belong to nobody!" he roared to the heavens.

The planet was silent. And then...

"Perhaps I misjudged you." Unicron sounded resigned, almost disappointed. And Megatron felt a smile creep to his lips, only to vanish as he continued: "Proceed on your way to oblivion."

A ring of smaller mountainous mandibles rose up around the maw, opening it still further. And the heavens screamed as baleful red light shone out of Unicron. Megatron felt the awful, inevitable gravity pulling him in -- but tortuously, molecule by molecule, until even his life spark was being stripped away. "No!" he begged, "No!" he shrieked, "NO!" He tried to hold himself together, but there was only one thing he could do now. Only one escape. "I accept your terms! I accept!" he pleaded, broken.

The light changed, as new energy rushed over him, filling him and infusing his body.

"Excellent." Unicron said, and set to work on Megatron's reforging.

Too late did Megatron realise that accepting Unicron's offer was in no way a respite from the agony. But now he couldn't speak. Couldn't move. Only exist in pure agony as his armour plating was flayed from him, exposing the circuits below.

The energy flooding him twisted his very being, like bathing in a smelting pool. He begged it to stop as agony overwhelmed him, and after what seemed like a millennia, it receded.

He stood, his new body rebuilt from the wreckage of the old one. His armour plating reforged just as his body was rebuilt, protecting him better than any forcefield. The energy "bath" he'd been subjected to had healed him, galvanised him.

He felt Unicron recede a little more -- with a sense of acknowledgement -- and he realised not even his thoughts were safe, that even they must have been reshaped to serve his new master.

"Behold. Galvatron!" Unicron announced, and it was true. No longer was that old identity worthy, not for a being like him. His armour sloped at menacing angles, his old fusion cannon had now become a far more deadly device crackling with energies, even his helmet had become a crown. Fitting for a king like him.

"And these shall be your minions..." Unicron's energy beam coruscated across the wreckage of the Decepticons. Galvatron watched with envy as he watched the carcasses being reforged as he was. They, at least, would not feel it. The Decepticons were separated into two groups. The first became winged, clawed beasts, metallic beards hanging from their faces. "Scourge, the tracker. And his huntsmen, the Sweeps." Unicron introduced them.

The second group was smaller, reshaped into towering figures, a pair of horns piercing through their heads as the glared at everything around them. "Cyclonus, the warrior. And his Armada." The two groups merged, shifting into their vehicle modes: unnaturally winged starcraft and skiff-like fighters.

"And this will be your ship," A city sized panel opened up in Unicron to reveal a hanger. A ship that would dwarf anything in either the Decepticon or Autobot fleets emerged, and Galvatron's new forces swooped off, ready to man it. "Now go. Destroy the Autobot Matrix." Unicron demanded, and this time Galvatron was all too pleased to obey.

"I will rip open Ultra Magnus and every other Autobot until the Matrix has been destroyed! he declared, testing out his newly recovered voice. He took off towards his ship, using his new cannon as propulsion. But there was still one annoying bit of Megatron's unfinished business he needed to take care of.

"To Cybertron!" he roared, eager to see the look on Starscream's face.

"Destroy the Matrix." Unicron rumbled one final time, burning the words into Galvatron's brain as an all consuming command.

It would be almost impossible to disobey.

Galvatron was looking forward to it.

\---

Starscream had originally wanted a lavish affair, something grandiose and so memorable that cybertronians would remember it until the end of time. But under the circumstances, he needed to cement his position as Decepticon Leader as soon as possible, so he made do with something low key. 

Only some of the inner circle -- those who'd been fighting on the shuttle, and then he'd defeated when they were exhausted -- were there within the Hall of Heroes. The constructicons were off to one side, trumpeting suitably triumphant music, while the statues of fallen Decepticon heroes had been polished to a gleam, their votive fires well fuelled, and a bare plinth set up for the inevitable statue of Megatron to take his place alongside such dignitaries as Bloodron, Ghoulron, or Gladiaron.

Starscream had limited himself to a rich carbon fibre cape to accentuate his figure, but had insisted on a crown he'd had prepared since some of the earliest days on Earth. Golden metal studded with ruby crystals. He'd even arranged Astrotrain to crown him with it.

And of course the entire ceremony would be recorded and beamed out to Decepticon fortresses across Cybertron. That was Soundwave's job. He'd make sure that everyone would see his moment in the spotlight.

It was glorious. He especially loved seeing all the faces of his rivals, forced to support him, the grumbling looks of displeasure on their faces.

He just wished the constructicons would shut up their infernal trumpeting. "Get on with the ceremony!" he bellowed over the trumpets. "Your future monarch is waiting!"

Dirge stood nearby, an ancient text within his hands as he droned on with even less enthusiasm than usual. "In accordance with ancient ritual, we, the Decepticons of Cybertron, herewith anoint and extol thee, noble Starscream," a low grumble went around the room, audible even with the music playing. "And proclaim thee King until time ceases to flow and--"

The trumpeting was intolerable. Starscream raised the null ray and fired off a shot along the constructicon's front, cleaving the trumpets in half. "Get on with it! Complete my investiture!" Astrotrain reluctantly placed the crown atop Starscream's head and posed as proudly as he could -- which was incredibly proud and pompous. 

"My fellow Decepticons!" he proclaimed, "as your new leader, I..." But the grumbling had never stopped. And in the enforced silence, Starscream realised it was in fact the rumbling sound of an engine. He looked up from the open hall, and saw a strange jet, flanked with fighters, swooping down to the planet. Towards the hall. Towards him.

The jet came to a shocking halt, as if it had only been taxing across the room and not screeching down like some harbinger of doom. "Who disrupts my coronation?" he spat in fury. Someone just had to one up him, some Decepticon who thought they'd muscle in on his ceremony. The jet's cockpit opened, and a Decepticon leapt out. The Decepticon seemed familiar in his bearing, but the purple chassis seemed new. And Starscream noted with jealousy that their crown seemed bigger than his.

"Coronation, Starscream?" It was impossible. The body was different, the voice sounded different. But the tone of voice, that dismissive stare. "This is bad comedy!"

"Megatron?" Starscream asked, before he'd even consciously realised it. "Is that you?" It was insane, impossible. He thought of how to explain it, how to tell Megatron that this had all been a plan for his benefit, not Starscream's. A thousand different plots ran through his head.

But the Decepticon didn't bother to wait. "Here's a hint!" he transformed into an artillery cannon, his arm mounted weapon now powered by his entire body as they aimed at Starscream, charged up to full power, purple light welled up. Starscream recoiled in shock, about to scream at the others to protect him.

The blast hit him dead centre, the energy welled up through him.

And then nothing.

It had been a dud, a failed shot. He smirked, ready to taunt the stranger. All the shot had seemed to do was knock his crown off, and Starscream watched it tumble down the dais and land by their artillery mode. The stranger returned to robot mode and crushed his crown beneath his feet.

Starscream was apoplectic. He wanted to scream at the stranger. How dare he show up just to humiliate him! He marched down the dais to swipe at them... and his hand passed through them.

"Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?" The stranger gestured through Starscream, back up the dais's stairs. Starscream turned to look, and found himself staring at his own carbonized legs, everything above his knees having crumbled away, the metal scorched black and grey.

He tried to scream, but his voice wouldn't work. No, it wasn't that. He had no vocoder to make the sound. He tried to throttle the stranger, who was introducing himself to the Decepticons -- Starscream's Decepticons -- as Galvatron.

The cheer of victory went up amongst the Decepticons, and Starscream fell to his non-existent knees.

He'd finally won, he'd done it.

It just wasn't fair.


	6. The Planet Eater

The messages from Earth had been grim. Prime down, most of the other Autobots as well, and Autobot City was little more than a smouldering pile of useless rust.

Jazz felt a terrible kinship with the city, he was just as useless: a few hours ago they started picking up a transmission from Cybertron -- Starscream had managed to return and had set himself up as the new leader of the Decepticons -- and now there wasn't enough soldiers on the Moonbase to take them down a peg.

Even wilder than that, some strange bot had interrupted his coronation, blasting him to ashes. Jazz wasn't sure what to make of it, but didn't feel like he'd have time to weigh up his options. Cliffjumper was already calling him over to the sensor controls.

"Where'd that come from?" was all he could utter upon seeing it. A moon or planetoid approaching on a course for Cybertron, already some beak like structure rising up on its equator, revealing a large pit. It had seemingly crept up on them, there'd been no warning signs and there was no way they could have missed it. Something was up.

"Who cares?! I'm more worried about where it's going!" The intruder had already swallowed up their sky, the atmosphere howling as it started to be stripped away, the ground shaking beneath them "It's destabilizing our gravity!" A massive pillar like mountain pierced the ground, filling the rapidly thinning air with the sound of screaming metal.

He turned to run, waving Jazz to follow him. But as much as Jazz wanted to run for the escape shuttle, he had a job to do. He stayed at his console, opening a link to Earth. They had to be warned.

\---

One thing something Ultra Magnus had learned running combat teams during the war was to keep everyone on their toes. The Autobots exhausted, worried about another Decepticon assault, mourning Optimus, and surrounded by the remains of the dead.

The last thing they needed was time to dwell on these things, so he'd immediately gotten to work assigning everyone orders to start rebuilding the city. Even if there was some grumbling, he was happy that it was directed at him.

He could take it, and the less people associated with him, the more time he could figure out how being a leader was supposed to work.

He knew what it was to lead a squad of troops into battle, or to make sure Autobot City was as safe as could be -- well, he was already questioning himself on that -- but to be the one giving orders in the heat of battle? To be sending people into danger while he remained at headquarters?

That would be tough to learn, even with the Matrix's help, sitting in his chest like a fuel-cap full of neutronium. He had a whole new measure of respect for Optimus, and wondered how he would ever live up to him.

Fortunately, his own attention found something to focus on. Blaster had dropped the pillar he was carrying, and called out to everyone: "I'm picking up a faint signal!" He immediately shifted into his radio mode, trying to cut out the interference from the city's shielding.

"This is Jazz!" Everyone dropped their work, even Ultra Magnus, and rushed to surround Blaster, craning in to hear as best they could. "A gi-normous weird lookin' planet just showed up in the suburbs of Cybertron!" the message crackled, his voice being half swallowed by static.

"And it's attacking Moonbase One!" Cliffjumper's voice came through as well in one sudden burst, before everything cut out.

"Jazz! Cliffjumper!" Ultra Magnus called out for them, but it was useless. All they could do is wait, and hope they'd escape.

\---

Jazz took one step along the moon's surface, struggling to find purchase on one of the domes before he took a second one. It was like climbing a wall, especially since everything loose seemed to be heading in their direction -- bits of debris and broken equipment were raining down on them.

He took another look at Cliffjumper, and wished they'd gone head rather than waiting for him. Everyone else had evacuated to Moonbase Two, but Cliffjumper had remained adamant that he'd had to make sure Jazz escaped as well.

And now it was seeming like neither would. The escape shuttle was only a few yards in front of them, but it would mean a sprint over bare terrain. No more easy handholds. Cliff ducked a chunk of metal which whizzed past them, and gave him a thumb's up. There was no way they'd hear each other right now.

Jazz returned the gesture, and with a nod they ran for it.

The ship was there, entry ramp already down, just a few feet ahead of him now. He just had to-

He slipped.

The metal beneath his feet ripped off as he was standing on it, torn off by the moon's gravity. And now Jazz was falling, collapsing to the ground.

Well, he had a good run. At least Cliffjumper would make it, he thought to himself. But Cliffjumper showed himself to be even more of a fool than Jazz thought, running to him, and helping him up. Hands clasped to prevent any more accidents, they dragged themselves to the escape shuttle, closing the ramp as soon as they were aboard.

"Got to--" Jazz gasped in the air, eager to let himself talk once more "-- blast free if we can." He slumped into his seat next to Cliffjumper, and started the launch sequence.

"Ignition, and..." Cliffjumper thumbed the engine to full power.

"Hit it!" Jazz said while the craft rocketed away, the ground they were just on crumbling beneath them. The moon crumbled into the maw of the planetoid, but they were off, already at full speed away fro-

"Jazz, we're not getting away!" Jazz looked over to see Cliffjumper grappling with the controls. "The ship is going backwards!" he yelled as their situation became clear.

Jazz looked at Cliffjumper. Who'd risked his life -- even wasted it -- just to save Jazz.

It may have been a pointless gesture, but hopefully the others had escaped, and their warning got through.

And in the end, Jazz couldn't wish for better company.

\---

The planetoid had barely paused after devouring Moonbase One. Spike had radioed the shuttles that had arrived, sending them on without even a chance to refuel. They could hopefully flee outwards, somewhere other than the monster's path.

But now he had to do his other duty. And if it went wrong...

He tried not to think about it as he brought up a communication channel to Earth, tried to ignore his son's presence there. At least on Earth he'd be safe. Spike cleared his throat. "This is Spike and Bumblebee, up here on Moonbase Two." he tried to keep his voice from breaking. "It's like a nightmare here."

Bumblebee spoke up, taking the pressure off Spike for a moment, letting him compose himself. "This thing... this monster planet just ripped the first moon to shreds."

"And it's heading this way." Spike interrupted, trying to be strong. After everything, he had to. He had to hold on strong for Daniel.

"We'll try 'n' slow it down!" Bumblebee added, already dragging a box of explosives. They had one shot.

"But you'd better get here fast! Because we're not gonna..." but the image had already dissolved into static. They were cut off.

They spent their last few minutes on what had been Spike's home away from home readying the base for destruction. The ammunition supplies, explosive charges, and power supplies all linked together, all the way to the moon's core. "Bumblebee, activate the explosives." Spike ordered, the moon shuddering as the intruder approached. He activated a countdown, as short as they could while still allowing for the possibility of the two of them escaping on a shuttle. "If this doesn't stop it, nothing will!"

Bumblebee ran up to him. "The explosives are activated, let's get out of here!" Spike didn't need to be told twice. The pair sprinted towards their escape shuttle, "Hurry, it's gonna blow!" Bumblebee added as they climbed up the ramp, the metal of the base beginning to deform around them, everything being torn up by the gravity of the planetoid.

There was a frenzy of activity as the two of them set to work launching away, the thrusters blasting at full power, driving them away. The pair of them kept an eye focused on the countdown, ticking down towards...

The explosion was bigger than any they'd ever seen before, the moon detonating inside the planetoid's mouth, shrapnel, dust, and debris raining out in an obscuring cloud while the shock wave sent their shuttle spiralling off course, the heatwave accompanying it melting their rear heat-shields to slag.

They steadied the ship, relief already washing over them. Bumblebee gave the first cheer as the two of them rejoiced at their success, even sharing a high five. The explosion had been at the perfect time, just when it was passing inside.

Then the obscuring clouds started to thin. "Look!" Bumblebee cried.

The planet was there, draining in the moon's debris, the clouds fading as they were sucked in too. "It isn't even dented!" Spike slumped back into his seat, unable to comprehend it. What was it made of? How had it survived. "Oh shit... what are we gonna do now?" he asked, turning to face Bumblebee.

But there was no time for another plan, no time for an escape. All they could do was hold on to their ship's controls as the planet drew them inwards, Bumblebee crying out "We're being sucked in!"

And Spike gave a small prayer, begging the Autobots to keep his son safe.

\---

Galvatron stared up, the destruction of the moons all too visible from the planet's surface. Anger flared from within, his life spark burning at the chains Unicron's will had bound it with. "How dare Unicron!" his hands ached to tear the monster from the heavens, it had defiled Galvatron's home, taken what was his by right of conquest. "Cybertron and all its moons are mine!" He roared in defiance.

Again the fire filled his body, Unicron's anger surrounding him like a red mist, every molecule of his body seeming to be torn apart atom by atom. He was driven to his knees, trying to fight the urge to give in, to will himself to end. He wouldn't, he couldn't. Not surrounded by the faces of all the previous Decepticon leaders, the grim faces of their statues surrounding him, judging him. 

"Remember -- we belong to him!" came the voice of his huntsmen's leader, Scourge. Obviously Unicron had given him minders, his supposed soldiers would turn on him in an instant if Unicron willed it.

"I belong to NOBODY!" he shrieked, his life spark burning, determined to fight, to win.

But sometimes victory required sacrifice.

Unicron did have a weakness, after all... And it'd told Galvatron exactly where it was. He surrendered, letting Unicron's lash get the better of him, just enough to convince his "master" he was broken.

He collapsed to the ground, exhaling the fumes from burning circuits. "I will obey... Unicron." he looked around, his new warriors impassive while his older ones worried. Well, they would be useful, if they survived.

Galvatron stood up, even more determined not to show weakness, he waved his hand at his Sweeps and Armada. "Decepticons, to Earth!"

He needed that Matrix, and he was all too happy to let Unicron believe it was for his sake.

\---

The last few hours had been a frenzy of activity. Ever since that first warning, they'd abandoned their work on Autobot City. That could wait, what was more important was getting the shuttles they had back into functional condition. The one Prime had arrived in had taken little work, mostly patching up the few potshots it had taken from Astrotrain. The other, designed for travel between Autobot City and the space stations of the Earth Defence Command, had taken longer. The Decepticons had practically torn it to shreds, and it had taken painstaking work, and more than a little improvised welding to get it into operational condition.

But still, they'd done it. And to Ultra Magnus's eyes, they looked like they'd see them to Cybertron. Which just left one burning question left to answer. But Ultra Magnus put it off, he'd think on it later.

"Autobots, prepare to board the shuttles." He'd been surprised by just how many had volunteered to take part in the mission, despite their exhaustion and near constant work. He'd had to turn many away who'd been near walking wounded, and in the end he'd chosen a core team he felt could handle it: Kup, whose experience would be invaluable; Blurr, who'd be able to take care of any threat before it became a danger; Arcee, who'd been a crack shot for as long as he'd known her; Springer, whose triple changing abilities would make him an unpredictable warrior; the Dinobots, for their extraordinary strength; Perceptor, for his scientific expertise... and Hot Rod, who still blamed themselves for what happened with Prime. They deserved the chance to work out their frustrations, and this would keep them too busy to dwell on it. 

They were all brave and determined, but he owed it to them to be honest: "This new menace is more dangerous than all the Decepticons put together. Somehow we must destroy it before it devours Cybertron."

"But what about my dad?" came a small voice from Arcee's shoulder, where Daniel was sitting. The human child was already tearing up, and Magnus wasn't sure what he could do. "He's on the moon between that monster planet and Cybertron."

Ultra Magnus had been in war long enough to face far too many unpleasant realities. He had his own thoughts on the likelihood of Spike and Bumblebee surviving, but if anyone could survive... it would probably be those two. In the end he tried to avoid being too blunt, or raising the boy's hopes. "Daniel, we'll do everything we can for Spike." Although he wondered what that was.

Springer interrupted, helpfully diverting the conversation, but onto the very problem Ultra Magnus had been dreading. "And what are we gonna do when we get there? If that thing crunches moons it'll make short work of us."

Ultra Magnus had no answer. He wished he had, but there was nothing in the combined arsenals of the Autobots and Decepticons that could make a dent in that thing's armour. He couldn't admit that though, everyone was looking at him expectantly. He settled with "Maybe the Matrix can stop it!"

"You're right, it can!" Hot Rod cried, their eyes burning with hope. Eagerly seizing the cable of possibilities that Magnus had dangled before them.

"What do you know about it, lad?" said Kup, dragging the young Autobot back from where they'd jumped forwards. Hot Rod flinched, as if slapped, and uncertainty flashed across their face. Ultra Magnus hoped he hadn't been so obvious when he'd needed an answer.

"I just got this feeling..." Hot Rod explained, but before he could elaborate, Springer waved up at the skies, pointing at a cluster of shapes descending from the skies.

"Look!" he cried, and everyone took in the strange assortment of craft swooping down on them. Skiff like hover-craft surrounded a handful of forward swept aircraft who were closing in. Their intentions became all too obvious when their gunports opened up, and laser fire rained down upon the Autobots.

"To the shuttles!" Ultra Magnus cried, and put his advice into action, leading the Autobots to the shuttle pads as fast as he could, the intruders' ships strafing them as they ran. Whenever they got particularly close on a run, Magnus could make out Decepticon insignia. Where had they been before? It wasn't like Megatron to hold back.

A deep and ominous voice rang out amidst the frenzy, Autobots trying their best to avoid Decepticon potshots. "I, Galvatron, will crush you just as Megatron crushed Prime!"

Whoever they were, they'd obviously heard a biased interpretation of the battle. Despite everything, Ultra Magnus couldn't resist firing back, both with a volley of laser fire and a retort of his own: "And you'll die trying, just like Megatron!" It was hardly his best, but even so it seemed to get the lead craft's attention.

Hopefully that would give opportunities to the others, who even now were dodging through the ruins to get to the shuttles.

\---

In the fighting, Hot Rod had ended up alongside Arcee and Daniel, the poor kid running as fast as he could along the perimeter of the city. One of the jets was firing down but to Hot Rod's relief, Daniel was too small a target for them.

That relief quickly shattered, when the jets decided to just cut off their escape route, blasting the road ahead into nothingness. Daniel couldn't check his rush in time, and was about to go sprawling over the abyss.

Fortunately, Arcee was still close by, grabbing him around the waist, pulling him up with an ease and gentleness that Hot Rod couldn't help but envy. "Stay close to me, Daniel," she instructed, pulling him away from danger.

Hot Rod felt his emotions flare, Arcee always did that to him, and it was still hard to say why. She was just so centred, skilled, elegant. Hot Rod moved forward, helping her move Daniel out of the line of fire, "And you better stay close to me," he said, trying to position himself between them and the jets.

Another blast from the jets sent them crashing into the wall for safety, Hot Rod ending up flung against the wall by an explosion. Arcee looked him up and down, checking in case there's any damage. "No. You'd better stay close to me." She said with a smile, and another flash of confusing emotions got the better of him.

He quashed them, trying not to dwell on it. Today had been exhausting and the mixture of guilt and whatever he felt for Arcee was tearing him apart. He just needed to concentrate. Together they took a shortcut through a burned out storage building, and then descended through a shattered elevator shaft until they had the shuttle pad in view.

It took only a quick sprint across the open air, Arcee carrying Daniel in her arms, until they were at the shuttles, where a queue appeared to be forming in front of the salvaged shuttle. The dinobots weren't making any move to board, despite Blurr pushing, pulling, and pleading with equal ferocity. "-cream, nice dino, sweet dino!" was all Hot Rod could make out as he approached, the messenger speaking far too fast as usual.

"Me, Grimlock, not "nice dino," the Dinobot leader retorted, turning his head up to follow the Decepticon raiders who were peppering the area with laser fire. "Me bash brains!" he let loose a gout of flame that engulfed the jets and skiffs, sending some crashing down to the ground. The other dinobots joined in, eager to stay and fight.

Ultra Magnus stepped up, trying to see what the hold up was. "Blurr, get the dinobots in the shuttle!"

"I'm trying to get them in the shuttle Ultra Magnus, 'cause I know we can't launch the shuttle until I get them in the shuttle. But I can't seem to get them in the shuttle, 'cause they're impossible, impossible, impossible!" he was demonstrating as he talked, shoving them as hard as he could but the dinobots were staying firm.

After taking a moment to process Blurr's speech, Ultra Magnus nodded. "Okay, forget it." He turned to face Hot Rod, their eyes meeting sternly. "Kup, Hot Rod. You guys get the dinobots aboard and get out of here!" He turned to the others. "The rest of you, come with me."

Hot Rod watched the others heading to the other shuttle, leaving him with Kup and the dinobots. Not the best company, but he'd had worse. As Kup tried his best to move them along, Hot Rod reached into a side compartment, pulling out a length of steel cable he'd been using in construction. With a few twists, he was able to form a makeshift lasso, and set about throwing it, catching the lumbering Grimlock and wrangling him aboard like he'd seen in those cowboy films Daniel showed him.

Gradually the dinobots seemed to get the idea, reluctantly leaving the battle behind and clambering into the shuttle, Swoop living up to his name as he dived into the open entrance, and the ramp closed behind him, rattling with enemy fire.

Hot Rod left his newfound charges behind and went to join Kup at the controls, where the old timer had already prepared it for launch. "This reminds me of the battle on Alpha 9. The Petro-Rabbits were--Grimlock, get your noodle out of my face!" he shoved back the snout of the dinobot's leader, who had stuck his head in between the two of them.

"Me, Grimlock love Kup's war stories!" Grimlock said in his defence, still not caring about the danger. Of course, if anyone could survive the attack, it would be them.

"You're living one now!" Kup said, giving Grimlock another shove. "Engage the boosters for Cybertron's sake!" He said to Hot Rod, who was all too eager to oblige.

"You got 'em!" he said, flicking a bank of switches, setting a rainbow of colours lighting up across the control panel.

Now that the boosters were activated, Grimlock obviously felt it safe to intrude once again. "Tell Grimlock about Petro-Rabbits again!" he demanded, mimicking Daniel when the human had been younger. Hot Rod shook his head in disbelief, who would have thought the kid would have been a bad influence on five giant metal dinosaurs.

"I'll give you Petro-Rabbits!" Kup groused, before slamming the engines forward, pushing the shuttle's controls to maximum. "Contact!" the engines blossomed into action, pushing the shuttle into the air, and they were on their way.

\---

The others had an even tougher time. The main force of Decepticons seemed to be aiming for Ultra Magnus especially, and it was all Springer could do to protect him with covering fire. Arcee had stayed back to cover their escape, and left Daniel's protection to him, which was another worry to deal with.

"Looks like we're shipmates, squirt!" he said, carrying the boy to the shuttle. Carly would kick his aft from here to Cybertron if he found out, but there was no time to get him to safety. This was the nearest they could do.

"All right!" Daniel cheered, his excitement outweighing the danger.

"But if you get space sick, you're gonna walk home!" Springer added, lifting him inside, and turning to cover Ultra Magnus and Perceptor as they boarded. Blurr wasn't far behind.

Springer joined Ultra Magnus at the controls, helping switch on the banks of switches controlling the boosters, getting everything ready for take off. "Hurry!" Magnus added, a little unnecessary. Springer wasn't blind to the explosions taking place across the area, the volleys of Decepticon fire that were raking up and down the shuttle. But he ignored it, Ultra Magnus was new to being high commander, and he'd get better with some experience.

As the ship started to rise, Springer let himself relax... only for Daniel to cry out "Ultra Magnus, Arcee's still out there!" A surge of panic shot through him and he rushed for the entrance, to see her dodging Decepticon fire while running for the ramp.

She was pushing her systems to the limit, but the shuttle was already gaining speed as it taxied, and slowing down now would just be disastrous. All he could do was implore her to "Jump!" extending his arm for her to grab.

Arcee heeded his warning, leaping for his arm... But fell short, only managing to reach the ramp's edge, and hold on as best she could. Springer stretched himself, leaning out as far as he could risk, and grabbed her proffered arm. She winced from the strain as he yanked her inside -- a strained shoulder servo was better than falling right now -- and collapsed to the shuttle's floor. "Thanks," she gasped, letting herself recover.

Daniel helpfully shut the door, standing on his tip toes to reach the control panel. The ramp retracted, sealing them in, and the echo of laser fire pattered against the hull. "That was close!"

The kid was brave, Springer would give him that. But even still, he couldn't resist commenting "Believe it or not, that was the fun part," and ruffling Daniel's hair.

Whatever happened, he'd keep the kid safe. He owed it to Spike's memory.


	7. The Battle in Space

After all the work they'd been doing, after spending every moment in battle or working, the moment's peace had come somewhat unwelcome to Hot Rod.

Ever since Magnus had sent the message that they'd escaped pursuit, and to rest while they could, he'd had spent every moment disobeying that order. He'd performed maintenance on every inch of the ship, welded shut any pinprick holes to the void of space, double checked his weapon systems, loaded up on emergency energon, and was now busy training against one of the auto-combatants the ship was equipped with.

He ducked one of the drone's blows, crouched behind a shield he'd emblazoned with flames and an auto-brand -- just another distraction from all of his failures -- and tried to spot a weak point. All the while he had to put up with a stream of chatter from the front of the shuttle.

"Yep. I remember the dust was so thick off Beta 4 that you had to use windshield wipers on your optic sensors!" Kup was chuckling as he mimed the wiper's actions with his fingers. He'd found a captive audience in the form of the dinobots, who actually seemed to love the old stories to Hot Rod's disbelief.

"Me, Grimlock, know all about wipers!" The dinobot raged, flailing around and knocking one of his companions to the floor. "Want to hear good part of story!"

The prone dinobot concurred, ignoring the friendly fire as he called out "Good part, Kup! Tell Swoop good part!" The other dinobots all joined in, murmuring demands.

"Okay, okay" Kup humoured them, "Well the dust was really thick, and then this gigantic Ick Yak came tromping and stomping down the mountain." He stomped his foot on the shuttle floor with each word, the dinobots nodding along. "Flames spewing out of its nostrils and I thought for sure-"

Hot Rod could stand it no longer, and spoke up, "Don't you think we have better things to do now than tell old stories, Kup?" Everyone was too relaxed, too... it pained him to think of it like this, but too happy!

Kup stared at him, "Like what?" he waved around at the shuttle. It was true there wasn't any reason not to, but it was just another thing that was driving him to distraction.

Hot Rod shrugged, "Like maybe figure out how we're gonna rescue our friends and then save Cybertron?" He could already tell Kup wasn't impressed by that idea. There wasn't much they could do about it.

The dinobots were even less pleased. "No!" Grimlock roared, "tell story!" While the others joined in with a chorus of anger.

Shaking his head, Hot Rod gave up. Unfortunately for him, the auto-combatant had seen his distraction and gave him a petro-rabbit punch to the back of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor. The dinobots roared with laughter, suddenly finding Hot Rod's embarrassment even more interesting than Kup's story.

He flipped himself over, trying to defend himself as the combatant came on the offensive. "Time out!" he protested, only for the drone to give an electronic buzz of derision, what Daniel had once called a Raspberry.

That was enough. Hot Rod lay in wait, letting the auto-combatant close in, and then leapt, catching it by surprise and grappling with its head. He reached back, ready to pulverize it, only for the drone to mimic him, holding up its limbs and crying out "Time out, time out, time out!" in a synthesized voice.

Hot Rod thought about giving a raspberry in return, but settled for just punching the irritating drone. But his punch was driven off course as the ship rocked and tremors ran through every surface, sending all of them down to their knees. More shocks rumbled through the ship, the sure-fire sign of warheads detonating across the shuttle's hull.

Ultra Magnus's voice rang out from the inter-ship radio: "Kup! Elevate force fields at once! They're armed with Moleculon Missiles!" Kup turned to his bank of controls, while Hot Rod sat at the other, flipping switches and turning dials as fast as they could.

"Force fields engaging..." Kup muttered.

"The magnetic feed is too slow!" Hot Rod said, panicking as explosions rained down on them.

"I'm trying to speed it up..." came Kup's reply, pushing up a rusted lever with all the effort he could muster.

"They're closing on us!" It was obvious, the missiles were swooping in on them, even with the force fields flickering into life.

"Just like the shrikebats of Dromedon!"

Another story, just what they needed. Well, maybe they did. "How'd you beat them?" Hot Rod asked, hoping for a way out.

The look on Kup's face was less than reassuring, his brow furrowed. "I'm trying to remember. There were an awful lot of casualties that day..." Then he brightened. "Oh, yeah! We inverted polarities!"

So much for a plan. "That'll tear the ship apart!" Hot Rod was shocked, it was nearly suicide.

"You got a better idea?"

He didn't. In desperation Hot Rod went ahead with it, reshaping the forcefield so instead of protecting the ship, it acted as a lure, drawing them away.

For a moment, it seemed like it wouldn't work, and they were doomed. "They're coming back!" The missiles were locked onto them, already swooping towards the shuttle.

And then they exploded, showering the shuttle's windshields with a fog of plasma that engulfed them, but didn't do more than scorch their hull. "Okay, so you were right. We survived that." He couldn't help but smile at Kup. Sometimes he did have good ideas.

Kup wasn't smiling. His attention was instead drawn to something on the sensors, something huge. The Decepticon mother ship was right behind them. He jabbed his finger at the blot, "But will we survive this!"

With their force fields changed, there was no way to protect themselves. The Decepticons had them at their mercy, and knowing it, they seemed to be sending out just one of their number to hunt them down, while the mother ship veered off to deal with Ultra Magnus.

Hot Rod tried every piloting trick he knew of, tried everything Kup could remember, all to avoid the Decepticon jet pursuing them. It was no use, the jet raked them with weapons fire over and over, control panels bursting into flames with each blow.

Their pursuer finally grew tired of toying with them, unleashing a volley into their shuttle's engines which ignited like miniature suns on either side of the craft, then climbed away, turning back to follow its master.

At first Kup and Hot Rod felt relief wash over them, that the Decepticon's intent was to slow them down. But their sensors showed a new destination for their shuttle, one that even now ominously grew in their windshields. Their dodging and weaving had ended up putting them into the gravity well of an alien planet, which even now they were being drawn inexorably towards.

After a few seconds fumbling with the levers and switches on the shuttle's panels, Kup slumped into his seat "I can't control it!" The damage had been too great, the engines were blown, there was nothing they could do to avoid it.

The dinobots all clustered around Kup and Hot Rod, all eyes watching the planet looming before them, pale golden seas of some kind of liquid providing the nearest glimmer of hope. If they hit one of those, they might survive.

But it was a faint hope. "We're gonna crash!" Hot Rod called out, fleeing his seat as all of them left the cockpit, just in time to avoid the metal arch that collided with the shuttle. The cockpit crumpled like foil, Hot Rod having just enough time to yell "Abandon ship!" and make good on his own advice, everyone leaping from the holes that were even now being rent in the ship.

It had served them well, even as it was destroyed.

Hopefully, they'd live to see its sacrifice honoured.

\---

"Kup and Hot Rod just bought it!" Springer yelled from the weapons control, bombarding Ultra Magnus with information. "Maybe the dinobots were tough enough to survive, but I wouldn't bet on it."

Ultra Magnus stayed as focused as he could, trying to maintain a course that would see them through in one piece. "I can't deal with that now!" he protested, as another readout clamoured for attention. "Our force shields are weakening..." he turned his head towards the back of the shuttle and called out "Damage control report!"

Behind him the other Autobots were doing their best. Perceptor was busy plotting courses on a stellar map, apparently oblivious to the havoc going on around him. Blurr and Arcee were busy patching holes in the shuttle as quickly as they could. Even the human, Daniel was helping out. "There's a million holes in the fuselage!" he cried to Magnus as he hammered a plate over a hole the size of his finger.

Arcee backed him up with far more useful details, her voice calm but grim, distracted by making sure Daniel didn't get injured fixing the ship. "Sixty-two percent deficit in structure, power supply depleted, survival factor... minus three."

"Face it Magnus," Springer called out once again "the Decepticons are gonna dog us until they see us dead!"

He was right. There was only one outcome to the situation, only one course of action that made sense. Ultra Magnus gave a tight nod. "Then that's exactly what they're gonna see." he then turned to Perceptor, "Prepare for emergency separation."

That shocked the scientist out of his stupor and he met Magnus' gaze, slack jawed. "That's too dangerous."

But Magnus was already activating the sequence. "What choice do we have?" He asked, and no one gave an answer in response.

The silence pained Ultra Magnus more than anything.

\---

This was perfect. Galvatron could destroy Ultra Magnus with one volley, find the destroyed matrix within its wreckage, and work out how to rebuild it, why Unicron wished it destroyed, and how to use it against him.

And all it would take was the push of a lever.

With a victorious smirk on his face, he pushed it forward, unleashing the storm of Moleculon Missiles which hurtled towards the Autobot shuttle. They collided, and their explosion was momentarily brighter than all the stars in the heavens, blinding Galvatron even from far away.

When his optics readjusted, there was nothing left. No piece of debris larger than the chair he was occupying. 

It was glorious.

"The Autobots have been terminated!" came the radio hail from Cyclonus, who he'd sent after the other shuttle. Everything had gone to plan. Soon he'd be the undisputed master of the universe.

But that was for later. For now he must play the dutiful puppet to Unicron. "Excellent." He clenched his fist, glancing at Scourge to one side. "And the Matrix with them."

He didn't notice the assassin's dagger plunge into his chest, only feel it as pain spread across his chest, throwing him to the ground. He tried to focus through the agony, to notice there was no telltale blade sticking from his chest. The pain was direct to his life spark, spreading outward.

There was only one being who could inflict such a blow on him, only one entity which would... "Take me..." he croaked out to Scourge, trying to drag himself to his feet, "to Unicron!" his words ended in a static filled cry of agony, his body burning from the inside out.

And all the while he prepared himself to pay Unicron back tenfold for this indignity.

\---

Anxiously, the six of them watched the blip on the sensor screen fade. When it winked completely out of existence, Daniel let out a sigh of relief that the Autobots shared in spirit.

"They bought it!" Springer pumped his fist in victory before heading back to the weapon's console. The other Autobots followed suit and went back to their stations.

"Did we have to let 'em detonate three quarters of the ship?!" Arcee still couldn't believe the risk. Especially with a human life on board. But even she had to admit she hadn't spoken up when Ultra Magnus had asked for suggestions.

"Seeing as they would have detonated four quarters," Springer laughed, "I think it was a good choice."

"But now how are we going to get there in this wreck?" She gestured around the cockpit, the last bit of the shuttle to remain, half filled with smoking wreckage.

As if to emphasise her point, the ship shuddered, and all of them grabbed what hold they could find on their control panels, Arcee finding Daniel clamped around her foot in an endearing way. She picked him up, holding him close for protection while Blurr went over the far too long list of repairs they needed.

"Power outage, sagging wattage, minimal voltage..." the shuddering stopped, and he turned brightly to Ultra Magnus. "But we're still here!"

"But not for long if we don't make major repairs!" Ultra Magnus cut across the chatter with a direct order. "Perceptor, can you find someplace to set down?"

Perceptor's sensor panel was barely functional, the display jittering at every second, but he still started turning dials and typing in coordinates. "Gamma waves in this sector of space create marginal navigation probabilities, however..."

Arcee stifled a laugh at the scene. Ultra Magnus had his head in his hands from frustration, while Springer was just grimacing. Even he couldn't translate the scientist's technobabble if he never actually said anything.

Even Perceptor couldn't resist chuckling, then cleared his throat: "Ahem... yes, I believe I can." He narrowed down his coordinates until a single area remained, magnified on the viewscreen. "The planet of Junk is in this vicinity. It won't be perfect, but then, what is?"

"Then let's go for it!" Ultra Magnus nodded, and everyone set about the arduous task of making sure the shuttle would reach their new destination, everyone lending a hand to make sure it was space-worthy.

\---

Back on Earth, there was one hobby Hot Rod had enjoyed more than anything.

Fishing had been an escape from whatever doubts he'd had, where he could just ignore the world and focus on the struggle of life: aquatic verses automatic.

Right now, he felt he owed a lot of fish an apology.

After escaping the demolished shuttle, he'd found himself plunging deep into the alien sea, sinking into the energon infused oil until he'd found himself caught by some form of deep sea-anemachinery. Cable tentacles wrapping around his limbs, nano-viruses being warded off by his own self-repair systems.

And up against him was a school of mechanical fish, all staring at him like the dinobots did at a smouldering Decepticon wreckage. Their pneumatic jaws ready to crush his armour plating as if it were tin foil.

It took a moment for Hot Rod to fully comprehend the danger, and then panic overwhelmed him. "Kup? Grimlock?" he grew more worried, "Slug!" there was no answer. "Anybody!" In desperation he activated one of his Earth-based upgrades, a circular saw he'd used to help clear the land for Autobot City a lifetime ago.

It was a crude tool, designed to be used against unmoving organic greenery, but it worked, tearing through the metallic hide of the fish, and slicing up the tentacles holding him. After the swarm of fish swam away in search of easier food, he heard cries in the distance "Hot Rod!" Kup's unmistakable tone carried through the oil, "Help me!"

"Kup!" he called out, already turning in the direction of the call. The oil was thin, and the energized nature made it difficult to find footing on the silicate ground. Switching to his car form, Hot Rod thanked the universe for tyre traction, as his wheels found purchase, allowing him to speed off in around the golden mechano-coral reefs rising up from the sea floor.

Hot Rod rounded the largest of the reefs, and called out again, this time in utter terror. "Kup!" He'd been caught in the tentacles of a colossal mechanoid, this time patterned after a gigantic squid. Kup was being torn limb from even as he screamed for help.

Taking aim with his inbuilt blasters, Hot Rod let rip with a trio of energy bolts, sizzling as the oil evaporated from the heat, and hit the squid-bot dead centre of its body. The creature dropped Kup's pieces, its attention drawn right towards the interloper who wounded it.

Perfect. A smile crept over Hot Rod's face as the tentacles surrounded him, encircling his limbs, just as the previous thing had. Hot Rod reactivated his circular saw, carving his way through the tentacles and moving closer with each slash. They were tougher, but even they couldn't stand against his assault, slicing through actuators and pistons as he got close to the beast's core. He took aim once again, this time directly at the beast's optics. It tried to entangle him, but too late. He fired off another triple beam directly into the delicate sensor, and causing it to shatter.

The squid-bot recoiled, its tentacles pulling back. Hot Rod having firmly moved from prey to threat, the beast retreated, filling the sea with a cloud of optic and targeting-computer obscuring chaff. By the time it cleared, the beast was gone, leaving Hot Rod, and what remained of Kup.

He knelt down by Kup's body, limbs scattered nearby. It was awful, seeing the veteran like this. "Kup!" he begged, turning him over. "Talk to me!"

Kup's optics flickered between powered an unpowered, blue fighting its way past darkness. He opened his mouth and croaked out "... button."

"Button?" Hot Rod looked at Kup, wondering if the damage had been more severe than he thought, that his cranial unit had sustained critical injuries.

"Button your lip differential and get me out of here! I'm starting to rust!" Kup bellowed, waving what was left of his shoulder.

Hot Rod couldn't resist a smile, the old crank would be fine. "Sure, Kup... right away!" He went to grab the rest of Kup's parts, and craned his neck upwards to look at the surface. He hoped wherever the others were, they were having better luck than him.

\---

Springer had heard of the planet, all the stories they'd told about it. But seeing it was an entirely new experience.

The planet of Junk wasn't a metal world in the same style as Cybertron or anything like its colonies. It didn't seem to have been built, but more... accumulated. Here and there he could see what used to be star cruisers of half a dozen species. Over there was what remained of a city-bot's hand.

From his side came a voice, "Where are we, Springer?" He looked down and there was Daniel, Arcee boosting him up to get a good view.

He grinned, "A long way from home, squirt," he waved at the strange spiky planet in the distance, "The place where everything ends up after you throw it out."

The ship started juddering once again as they entered the planet's atmosphere, winds rushing past them as they descended. Ultra Magnus called out, "Brace yourself! From here on it's automatic pilot procedure."

"And automatic digital extremity crossing!" added Blurr, holding up his fingers to demonstrate. A weird tradition that Spike had impressed on them, but it was for good luck, so it never hurt to try.

Springer looked down at Daniel and Arcee and crossed his fingers too. Just as they hit the first mountainous junk-pile.

Fortunately it had just been a glancing hit on the peak, but already the ship was cracking at its seams. Anything not bolted down had gone flying, which to Springer's consternation had included Arcee. She'd ended up against the back wall, curled protectively around Daniel.

The shuttle plummeted, crashing through what looked like an Earth forest rebuilt out entirely out of springs and pylons. The metal foliage cushioned the blow as they skidded, but still sent Perceptor and Blurr crashing backwards, one particularly determined "tree" even rending a tear in the shuttle's hull.

He looked at Ultra Magnus, who was busy holding steady, staring straight ahead. And then, ever so slowly, Magnus crossed his fingers as well.

And then everything went dark.

Eventually, Springer realised it wasn't because he'd finally gone offline to meet his maker, but because he was staring at the floor. He'd been knocked down, and finally everything had stopped.

"Say something?" Ultra Magnus called out. "Anybody?"

Springer was tempted to lay there, letting himself recharge, but just that moment one of the view screens from above crashed onto his head. Obviously the wire it had been hanging by had just given up. Still, it was a painful reminder of the work ahead of them. He groaned, pulling himself up. "Remind me to give the Auto Pilot a raise."

Around the shuttle, the other Autobots were recovering. Arcee slowly uncurled, checking to see if the kid was alright. "Daniel?"

He groggily got to his feet as well, "I'm... I'm okay." He forced a smile on his face, trying to be brave. It was obvious even to Springer that Arcee's head had been dented, she held it carefully, where she'd taken some bumps that would have otherwise wrecked the human.

Springer nodded at Blurr, who ran over, offering a hand to the pair. "Can I give you a hand? Can I help you up? That was quite a crash. Quite a crash indeed!"

Arcee was happy to accept his help, rising up with a faint smile. "Thanks, Blurr."

The entire crew had taken their fair share of damage, both from the crash and the attack before hand. Perceptor was going around, doing emergency repairs to their bodies while Ultra Magnus took stock of the shuttle.

Finally he turned back, having found himself a laser drill. "Let's try to salvage this thing. If we all pitch in, we might be able to get this battered old tub space worthy before moonset." He flicked the activator of the drill on, making sure the energy helix still functioned, and then turned it off. Doubt crossing his face. "That is, if this world has a moon."

Blurr scavenged up an electric saw, while Perceptor had already found a set of plans, the Autobots clustering around them to figure out the best way to fix things, and what they'd need to salvage to do so. Springer felt a tug on his leg, Daniel staring up at him. "Can I help, too?"

Well this was a challenge. The kid looked so eager, wanting to help out in any way he could. But it'd be ridiculous. Maybe he could stay here and tighten some screws. "It's rough out there, kid."

Daniel's face fell, obviously already knowing he was stuck on board. The look of someone who wanted to do anything to avoid sitting around, feeling useless, and dwelling on the future.

"I think Daniel can make himself useful with this!" Arcee spoke up, dragging out an antique from the shuttle's stores. "It was Spike's exo-suit."

"Wow, Dad's exo-suit! He told me all about it." Daniel was staring up at the weird hodgepodge of ceramics, metals, glass, and plastic that formed the prototype exo-suit. Bulky and badly designed, it was certainly not one of Wheeljack's best pieces of work. But right now it was probably the best thing they could have hoped for.

Arcee knelt down, holding it out to Daniel. "Here... try it on." Springer lifted him up, helping him climb inside, finding a comfortable position to rest in. "Now, try to walk." She walked away, encouraging him to follow, "Come on, you can do it!"

It was easier said than done, Daniel barely making a step forward before he collapsed. He pulled himself up with some effort, only to fall backwards, unused to the sudden extra weight.

"Don't fight it, Dan-O!" Springer said encouragingly, "You control an exo-suit by thinking about what you want to do before you do it!"

Daniel knotted his brow, concentrating. "Thinking... thinking..." he repeated as a mantra, as he rose to his feet. "It's kind of tricky..." he confessed. He tried to walk, but his balance sent him on a kind of sprawling jog into Arcee's hands as he collapsed.

"For the first time out, you were great!" Arcee helped him up again, beaming proudly. "Keep on practising. You'll get the hang of it."

Ultra Magnus gave a polite cough to draw their attention. "C'mon. Show time's over! We've got work to do!" He started explaining the parts they needed to search for in the endless junk-piles, each something essential for the shuttle.

With the gentle reminder, they set out from the shuttle, getting a close up look at the vast rust red expanse that surrounded them. Everywhere there were piles of garbage, including things Springer didn't even know how to describe. Sometimes the piles seemed almost natural, just items ejected from a passing ship. At other times, they looked... arranged. But for some reason Springer couldn't fathom.

Daniel let out a low whistle as he took his first steps on the alien world. "This must be the junk capital of the universe!"

Ultra Magnus pointed to an exposed starship engine. "We'll extract this duralo-metal first, and then start cutting down as much Titanium Xenomide as we can find..." he rattled off more instructions as everyone moved to follow. 

At least this would be easy.

\---

A head emerged from the a pile of metal, a pair of horn like sensors twitching as it took notice of the intruders. It bore a face much like them, but decorated by what seemed to be a beard and moustache formed out of corroded wires.

More of the bot emerged, a giant of pitted metal, decorated by spikes and blades. Others started to follow, taking close watch of the ship which had torn through their "perfect" recreation of a forest.

The lead bot's sensors twitched again, focusing on the newcomer's words. Finally a voice that was as makeshift as its body rang out from synthesised samples. "Stop thief! No welcome-wagon, "hello stranger," with that good coffee flavour for you!"

Another of the rust giants agreed, "Yeah!"

A third joined in, "Yeah, or your money back!" taking their places at a large cannon that once adorned a Decepticon heavy cruiser was moved slowly into position.

Their leader's face contorted into a smile, as it gave what was one of the most bizarre war cries ever recorded in the galaxy. "Offer expires while you wait. Operators are standing by!"


	8. A Mockery of Justice

Hot Rod sat waiting by the alien shore, a pile of scrap metal next to him. There were still a few of Kup's old parts there, but they were useless. Broken, or just worn with age. To get the old timer back up and running, he'd had to scavenge for suitable replacements. And the nearest supplies of spare parts on this alien world were the fish.

Even here, on this crazy alien planet, Hot Rod had found himself fishing. Using the makeshift lasso he'd had with him, and a strut from a nearby robotic plant, he'd made a fishing rod. Collecting enough of those biting little fishbots -- Hot Rod had ended up calling them Pirahnacons -- and whatever else would take the bait, and helping Kup recover.

Finally he plucked out what looked a bit like a cross between an eel and a cable, and pulled it apart, took out a length of tubing, and applied it to Kup's fuel pump. He shut Kup's side with a sense of satisfaction. "That does it... well, what do you think?"

Kup gradually got to his feet, flexing every part of his body, an assortment of aches and groans as new parts intermeshed with the old. He twisted him neck, hopped from one knee to another to test his weight, bent his arm, and then took a few wobbly steps. Then he froze and turned back with a grimace. "Of all the circuit-glitched, diode-blowing dimwittery. You left a piece out!" He grumbled.

Hot Rod felt his face fall, and bent over the heap of spare parts, trying to spot any of Kup's old ones he'd missed replacing. "Hey, no way. You're just a little stiff!"

Kup still shook his head. "I know if I've got all my components, and I'm telling you I'm short a part!" he kept flexing his arms, as if trying to work it out, "Why it's worse than the time I was stranded on the Ice Rings of Radon with Galactic Flu. I..." he paused, even as Hot Rod desperately looked through the pile of parts. Then Hot Rod felt Kup's hand on his shoulder. "Well... maybe." His voice had changed, the grumbling had stopped and there was a sudden warmth. "Anyway, all things considered, you did an amazing job, lad! Amazing!"

It was an obvious attempt at trying to cheer Hot Rod up. But it helped. A little. His words still stung for some reason, but Hot Rod still smiled as he turned to face Kup. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kup rotated his arm and bent his legs as far as they'd go. Something Hot Rod had never seen him do before, always careful in his motions. "You even got rid of a nasty burr on my rotator!" Maybe the repairs had done him some good after all. "Now let's find the dinobots and get off this twisted planet!" He transformed -- a tad gingerly at first, getting used to it all over again, and started off across the alien world. After making sure nothing fell off Kup, Hot Rod joined him, transforming and speeding up to keep his pace.

The idea that the dinobots hadn't made it wasn't even worth considering. If Hot Rod and Kup had survived, of course the big bruisers would have. They'd probably even thrive here. The entire world looked like the photos Hot Rod had seen of the Dinobot's home on earth, covered in trees and vines, the air uncomfortably humid, and with the sounds of alien chirping filling the air. The only difference was that the life was more natural here -- even if Hot Rod preferred the exotic organicness of Earth.

The impromptu path through the jungle the pair had been following came to a stop. A swamped depression, some kind of river of the energized oil, marked the end of the road and they transformed to better cross it. Before they could even get their feet wet, the river started to ripple, and a monstrous creature began to emerge, spikes coating its entire body, mottled green and grey chassis and a hungry expression on their faceplates.

Hot Rod took aim with his inbuild blasters as more of the fiends emerged, but Kup reached out and moved his arm down. "Don't act hostile," he muttered, before stepping out to approach the monsters. "I'll use the universal greeting."

"Universal greeting?" It had to be nonsense. Hot Rod knew Kup had been just about everywhere, met just about everyone. But if Cybertron couldn't even be united, if even Earth was split into feuding regions with different languages... the idea of some single message cutting across the gulf to these alien -- if they were even intelligent enough to have their own language -- was crazy.

Kup certainly seemed certain though, the strange monsters surrounding him in a circle. "Watch, I'll have them eating out of my hand!" Hot Rod felt it was more likely the creatures would eat the hand along with whatever was in it. What followed was a series of alien syllables that Hot Rod couldn't even comprehend, let alone recognise as a greeting. It only sounded like "Bah-weep-Graaagnah wheep ni ni bong."

"Bah-weep-Graaagnah wheep ni ni bong?" He repeated, half in confusion and half in the desperate hope that Kup knew what he was talking about.

"Bah-weep-Graaagnah wheep ni ni bong!" The creatures roared as one. But there was no way of telling if it was from understanding or simple mimicry.

"See, the universal greeting works every time." Kup chuckled, reaching slowly towards his side, "Now, without making any sudden moves, offer them an energon goody."

Hot Rod was glad he'd taken the opportunity to stock up on them back on the shuttle, he pulled out a container and dispensed a few of the thin strips of energon infused crystals, passing them out to the suddenly enthused aliens. More and more creatures rose from the river, all chatting that universal greeting, and all of them craving more and more energon goodies. "This is getting expensive!" He hissed to Kup.

"Don't worry," Kup said back, but sounded far from certain himself. "They'll reciprocate!" together they passed out all of the energon rations, but the beasts were still eager for more.

"I thought they were supposed to reciprocate!" The guards were grinning, their faceplates splitting in two to expose fanged mouths. All Hot Rod could do was hold the dispenser upside down, shaking it to show it was empty. "No more!"

That the aliens understood. Silence fell over them as they stared back in shock. "Empty!" Kup cried, throwing the dispenser behind him. The beasts looked at them... and then they transformed. What was once their chest rose out, exposing a new head with jaws that could swallow either of them whole, lined with jagged fangs. Eyes shone with hunger as they approached, unwilling to take either of them at their word.

The beast leapt, swarming over Hot Rod and Kup in apparently endless numbers. Soon Hot Rod's vision was filled with nothing but teeth and claws.

\---

He couldn't believe the sight before him.  
The two fools had landed in the sea where none could swim.  
He'd watched as they escaped, on foot and on wheel -- apparently uncaring of how close they'd been a meal.

He'd followed them as they'd reached the river; and as the allicons emerged, he'd watched with a shiver.  
Death and destruction was all that awaited, as the monster's hunger would never be sated. The pair had tried to win over their favour, but all this meant was he'd need be their saviour.  
The pair had spoke of others to find...   
He'd have to go get them.  
Before they met a fate most unkind.

\---

The fortress the aliens had taken them too was towering, with smooth walls, perfectly defensive in a way that set off an itch in Hot Rod's processor. Gun ports had broken its surface, staffed with more of the aliens and other creatures that seemed kin. Or maybe these ones were mass produced and there were more, elite ones with unique forms, like with the Decepticons.

"Reminds me of the Niter Slave Mines on Golgonath Seven..." came a muttered reminiscence from his side. Kup apparently seeing the best in the situation.

"Every place reminds you of some place else..." Hot Rod really wasn't in the mood for Kup's stories. It was his fault they'd ended up here after all.

"Experience, lad. You should learn to appreciate it." Another flash of anger. Kup probably hadn't meant it so hardly, but something in the tone stung Hot Rod like an insecticon.

"A lot of good it's done us so far!" Hot Rod muttered as the aliens shoved them along, crackling energon restraints around their arms and waists.

They passed through corridor after corridor until they reached what had to be the centre of the fortress, a large courtyard open to the skies. "Hey, what's going on over there!" Kup whispered to him, gesturing with a toss of his head. The centre of the courtyard was occupied by a giant pit, a crude bridge occupied by an alien -- one differing from either the Autobots or their captors.

Confronting the prisoner on the bridge were more aliens. These ones marked out by constantly lashing tentacles, hovering on beams of energon wastefully.  
One of them, with a long slender head turned to the other, it's apparent ruler sat on a throne. "Has the Imperial Magistrate reached a verdict?" It hissed in contempt of everything around it. More courtroom than courtyard, Hot Rod realised.

"I have..." said the so called Imperial Magistrate, little more than a beautific face on a sphere or orb. A wry sense of amusement in its voice as it looked forward to the proceedings.

"Guilty or innocent?" Its subordinate hissed once more.

Then the Imperial Magistrate rotated, exposing more faces, and switched to one that looked like a robot with everything that made a face removed. Empty eye sockets, nothing to protect the fanged jaw, even its olfactory sensors were empty. Looking nothing so much as a broken down wreckage. It still moved. Mouthing words with an eerie finality. "Innocent!"

Hot Rod felt a wave of relief pass over him. The alien would be free to go, maybe they'd be able to find help here, find the dinobots and be able to rescue the others. A smile crept to his lips.

"Feed him to the Sharkticons." The other one said, nodding its head.

This was all wrong! Hot Rod looked around. The Imperial Magistrate had said innocent! But all around him, the other strange aliens were following the commands. One pulling down a lever, which collapsed the bridge, plunging the innocent bot down into an abyss. A splash echoed up, followed by screaming as the unseen "Sharkticons" did their duty.

And the Imperial Magistrate laughed. The skull-face started, and then it rotated between faces, filling its laughter with notes of bitterness, rage, and others until it settled back on the beautific face it had started.

This was all a joke to them. And all Hot Rod could do as they were lead to the cells surrounding the courtyard was respond in kind. "We've got to get a new travel agent." He said bitterly as the guards shoved in him into the cell, still chanting their parody of the universal greeting.

Their restraints faded away, here there was no escape, that much was clear. And all Hot Rod could do was look around keep talking to avoid dwelling on their fate. "What is this place?" He said, not expecting an answer.

But from another cell came a gravelly voice, weary with age as they approached the bars, "The world of the savage Sharkticons and their cruel masters, the Quintessons." The bot was obviously of the same design as the one who'd been executed just outside. The delicacy of their components was obvious. But also obvious was the age, the small cracks all across their body, the makeshift repairs. The scorched remains of blaster fire. "Guilty or innocent, the sentence is always the same."

"I am Kranix," he explained, untold ages of survival weighing him down. "My planet was destroyed by Unicron." 

"Unicron?" Hot Rod stared at Kranix, who was holding onto the bars with clawed digits, eager for conversation. For some kind of confession, or to explain who he was before the end. "Who's Unicron?"

"A planet that devours everything in its path." Kranix said, watching their expressions with surrpise, as if this should be obvious. Even as if he recognised Kup and Hot Rod.

"So that's the monster's name..." Kup said. Then the doors to Kranix's cell opened, more of the guards intruded, followed by one of the hovering Quintessons, directing the guards to grab him before he'd be able to say anything more.

"No, please! I'm the last survivor of Lithone!" Kranix begged as they dragged him away.

Hot Rod ran to the bars. "Let him go!" he cried , reaching through them to grab Kranix, only for them to energize and throw him back, burning sooty stripe into his finish. 

"Soon you too shall receive your sentence. It would be well for you to watch, so you will know what fate to expect." The smaller Quintesson hissed before floating away. Kup helped Hot Rod to his feet, dragging him over to the wall, where another set of bars were located, offering them a sight of the "trial" being performed.

"Has the Imperial Magistrate reached a verdict?" The Quintesson asked, looking up.

"I have." Came the reply, tinged with something else. Uncertainty, like it had been weighing everything up and coming out with something unfamiliar. But it didn't matter in the end.

"Guilty or innocent?" The Quintesson said, almost encouraging them, but before they could get an answer, there was an outcry from the bridge.

"Spare me this mockery of justice!" Kranix proclaimed, his bravery returning now his fate was sealed.

"I repeat." The Quintesson said, turning back to the judge. "Guilty. Or Innocent."

This time there was no doubt. The Imperial Magistrate rotated to the skull face proclaimed "Innocent!" 

And then Kranix plunged, falling deep into the pit beneath him as the bridge collapsed. Kranix's voice echoed from the depths, "All right you monsters, all right! I may be finished, but some of you shall perish with me!" Then came the sounds of tearing and shearing, accompanied by Kranix's voice turning into screaming.

And then there was silence.

There was nothing here that made sense. Nothing that was right. All Hot Rod could do was hold in his rage as Kup placed a comforting arm around him. "Not the end I'd wish for, lad."

Nothing was right at all.

\---

Grimlock had never had a home.

Sure, he'd had the room back on the Ark where the fossils were, where the inspiration for his creation had come from. Then there'd been Dinobot Island, as the other had called it. But there everything was too soft, even the dinosaurs there had been no match, no danger. It had just reminded him and the others how alien they were.

But here, this world. It was home.

The trees and other plants were metallic, you could brush against them without wrecking them. You could sharpen your claws against them. There was even life here, mechanical life. When the dinobots had crossed a river, there'd been fish to attack them hungrily, even leaving scars in Grimlock's feet.

Maybe when they got back to Cybertron and drove out the Decepticons, he'd get Wheeljack to build a place like this... and then he realised Wheeljack never would. That the Decepticons had killed him cowardly. He roared, stomping his feet against the metal path the dinobots were carving through the wilderness, and felt some small satisfaction as the native life shrank back in the distance, their sounds growing fainter. Here Grimlock wasn't just leader of the dinobots. Here he was king.

A shadow passed over the four of them, indicating Swoop had returned. He stopped, the others stopping behind him as their flier landed, shifting into his weaker, humanoid mode. "Me, Swoop, no see nothing."

Grimlock shook his head. "Me, Grimlock, positive Hot Rod and Kup close!" They were heading into the water covered regions. Hot Rod liked fishing, he'd even tried to teach Grimlock and the others how to do it back on Earth once -- even if they'd seen no point in bothering with the rods, and just waded in to catch them with tooth and claw. But if he was anywhere on the planet, he'd be enjoying himself. There was nothing else to do here in paradise.

"Me, Slug, say you full of beryllium baloney!" He wandered off, ignoring Grimlock's complaints. And everything else, which is why he was about to fall into a spike lined pit trap ahead.

Grimlock whipped his tail around, knocking Slug off course and off his feat, sending him sprawling. "Me, Grimlock, say you full of caesium salami!" He said, gesturing to the pit with his tyrannosaur hands.

"Beryllium baloney!" Slug repeated, not even bothering to thank Grimlock for the save. He grunted, charging with his horns down and ready to fight for dominance. It was a not unwelcome challenge, but Grimlock had no time for it. Slug would need to be taught a lesson. He roared in defiance, the pair circling around each other.

"Friends find. Look behind!" Came a strange voice from behind them, distracting Grimlock enough for Slug to get in a strike with his horns.

Grimlock shoved his weight against Slug, and roared out in challenge "Who say that?"

A small, even smaller than Bumblebee, rust orange robot peaked out from behind a rock. To Grimlock's surprise he had an Autobrand emblazoned on his chest. To even greater surprise, hanging around that Autobrand was a necklace of teeth, looking like they'd been pulled from whatever creatures were around here, and was staring at them without fear.

"Friend find, look behind." They repeated, smiling up at them. "You go wrong way, you fool I say!" They jumped out, clambering up Sludge's tail and up to his head, where he sat, staring at Grimlock.

Grimlock couldn't believe it. This was the first thing on this planet that was challenging his authority. He was used to Slug and the others doing it. But this... this little Autobot thought he could insult him? "Me Grimlock... Fool?" He said slowly. As if he'd misheard, giving them a chance to take back the insult.

"Picture you got, then fool you not." They laughed, pointing a finger at Grimlock.

"Me, Grimlock, no like you!" He roared, swiping out with his claws to knock them to the ground, tumbling off Sludge's head. To make matters worse, Snarl, Sludge, and Swoop were joining in the laughter.

The little robot didn't seem too bothered by his fall, brushing himself off and pulling out a crude slingshot made from spare parts. He put in a small burning crystal and took aim at Grimlock...

There was a sudden burning sensation as whatever the crystal was collided with Grimlock's snout, denting it and leaving scorch marks. Above anything else it was painful, making him stomp around, roaring, as the other laughed. "Dowwww!" he complained, his voice coming out distorted by the dent in his snout. "Why boy hit by dose?"

The bot just stood there, arms folded. "Wheelie say, find friends today." He then turned around pointing at a spire in the distance.

Of course. This "Wheelie" knew where Kup and Hot Rod were. He was just saying it oddly. Some quirk of his voice. He was an Autobot, so he should be able to be trusted. Grimlock was king, but he still knew sometimes it was worth following. Still, he felt he needed to reinforce his dominance of the others. "Me, Grimlock, say, we on our way!" He growled taking off after the small Autobot, the others coming into place behind him.

\---

Galvatron had left the others behind. None of Unicron's "minders" were needed, and both knew that.

If Unicron wanted to crush him, he could simply unleash that power which was still burning through Galvatron's body, a dull throb of agony. It was humiliating, infuriating. Which was probably exactly how Unicron wanted it.

Now he was here, atop Unicron's surface, waiting by the planet's cavernous maw for an audience. He felt Unicron's attention turn to him, surrounding him with a sudden glare from nowhere which threatened to send Galvatron to his knees.

"Unicron!" He begged, "Why do you torture me?!" he could feel the red mist-like energy churning about his body, threatening to destroy hm.

"You have failed." Unicron said, in a voice as final as extinction. Disappointment dripped from his words, as if it should have been expected, but that Unicron had really wished it had happened another way.

"No, Unicron!" Galvatron croaked out, only to feel the fires getting worse. The planet had taken it as a rebuke and was angry... Galvatron gasped his words "Ultra Magnus is dead, and the Matrix destroyed!" And there was no way Unicron could grasp Galvatron's plans to create a copy... and too late did he realise Unicron knew exactly that, plucking it from his head as easily as Galvatron would brush away rust. And had no concern for it.

"The Matrix has not been destroyed." Unicron said with certainty. "And Ultra Magnus lives on the Planet of Junk. Stalk him! Tear him apart! And destroy the Matrix!"

Galvatron obeyed. He had no option. As he felt Unicron's consciousness and attention drift away, probably observing his prey... Galvatron stoked the fires of rebellion.

Destroying the Matrix wasn't an option. Unicron held no fear of a copy. He needed it.

It was his only hope.

And to his surprise, and terror, he realised... it was Cybertron's only hope.


End file.
